In recent years, the rapid consolidation of the global digital infrastructure has turned cloud computing into a strategic node of geopolitical competition. The large hyperscale data centers, predominantly operated by US and Chinese providers, now form the backbone of our digital economy, with direct consequences for technological sovereignty, security, and the growth prospects of European enterprises.
The goal of the meeting is to understand how the rise of the “cloud empires” is reshaping global economic and political balances, and what implications this phenomenon holds for the strategies of European companies. The discussion will be led by Vili Lehdonvirta, Professor at the Oxford Internet Institute and author of Cloud Empires, one of the leading international experts in digital economy and platform governance.

The session will focus on:
- sovereignty vs. scale: the strategic trade-off shaping digital infrastructure, between dependence on global giants and the pursuit of European autonomy.
- cloud and geopolitics: how international events and tensions between the US and China shape digital infrastructures and create new risks (but also opportunities) for businesses.
- future challenges: from unconscious dependence on the cloud to “sovereign-washing,” as well as the role of new infrastructures for AI and undersea cables.