Europe seeks to break its US tech addiction

WITH President Donald Trump more unpredictable than ever and transatlantic ties reaching new lows, calls are growing louder for Europe to declare independence from US tech.

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From Microsoft to Meta, Apple to Uber, cloud computing to AI, much of the day-to-day technology used by Europeans is American.

The risks that brings were hotly debated before Trump returned to power, but now Europe is getting serious -- pushing to favour European firms in public contracts and backing European versions of well-known US services.

As Europe faces Trump's tariffs, and threatens to tax US tech unless the two sides clinch a deal averting all-out trade war, there is a growing sense of urgency.

Tech sovereignty has been front and centre for weeks: the European Union unveiled its strategy to compete in the global artificial intelligence race and is talking about its own payment system to rival Mastercard.

"We have to build up our own capacities when it comes to technologies," EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen has said, identifying three critical sectors: AI, quantum and semiconductors.