Europe’s new head of tech sovereignty and security will work toward boosting the European Union’s use of artificial intelligence (AI) and disruptive technology for the battlefield.
In written responses to European Parliament questions, Henna Virkkunen said she would prepare an AI and cloud development act to counter the EU’s growing “productivity gap” with China and the United States.
“Only 8% of EU businesses use AI, only 33% of our companies use cloud, and the data center footprint in Europe is one third of that in the U.S.,” Virkkunen wrote.
The potential new act would focus on developing energy-efficient technology, prioritizing large-scale investments considered first of a kind, setting new standards for the EU single market, and security of supply and cybersecurity.
Virkkunen will also work to develop the European Defence Union with her peers. The commission included a defense commissioner role for the first time to build up military manufacturing capacity next to the bloc’s eastern border on the edge of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Virkkunen said she wants to help fund and develop disruptive technologies for civilian and military purposes.
“Small deep-tech companies can bring real disruptive effect to the battlefield, but they remain underfunded,” she said.