Europe is establishing a federated cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, codenamed EURO-3C, aiming to reshape the continent's relationship with major US and Chinese technology providers. Telefónica announced the initiative, supported by the European Commission, at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The project unites over 70 organizations, including telecom operators, tech firms, and SMEs.
"We will provide the first federated secure and sovereign model where cloud, AI and edge are going to be able to work together so we can accelerate a lot of digital services on top of that," stated Sebas Muriel Herrero, chief digital officer at Telefónica. Instead of a new, singular European cloud, EURO-3C connects existing national infrastructures into a cross-border federated network.
Muriel Herrero emphasized the need for Europe to invest in creating technology rather than solely relying on external providers, citing the strategic importance of scale in the current era. This move addresses concerns over Europe's dependency on US IT infrastructure, highlighted by recent US cloud outages that pose strategic, economic, and security risks.
Renate Nikolay, deputy director general at the European Commission, noted the project's goal is to "build a secure and sovereign convergent communications landscape." Key sectors prioritized for the new infrastructure include automotive, e-health, public services, and government cloud, with a significant focus on agentic AI. "This is the pillar, this is part of the future on top of which we will be able to really develop our own technology," added Muriel Herrero.