Merz wants Google as partner for a German intelligence cloud
Merz told that Germany must control its technology, and that a US provider can give Europe sovereignty.
Friedrich Merz, the chancellor of Germany, spoke at the Digital Summit. Merz told that digital sovereignty is that Germany makes decisions and applies them without help. It looks as if the German intelligence agencies plan an offline cloud with Google as partner. Merz told that Google puts money in Germany and Europe, and that this gives European sovereignty.
What Merz told
Merz told that the point is no more to make or to buy. The point is who sets the rules. Germany must not try to do all without help.
On the Google plan Merz told that it is not a fully connected infrastructure. Merz told that it is a European infrastructure.
What is not shown
The report gives no contract, no cost and no test of the plan. It tells that the agencies only look as if they want Google as partner.
What critics tell
The report tells that a US cloud, also an offline cloud, must get updates from its provider. After some months the agencies must move to a different system, or it is not safe to use.
US companies tried to decrease the risk of a kill switch with structures. Then a government can tell the cloud to stop. European providers want government institutions as first large customers.
Insight: Sovereignty depends on who writes the rules
Merz told that the point is who sets the rules. A related report tells that a US lawmaker tells that AI data centers will become very important infrastructure. This reads as a move to set the rules. A US provider that sends updates keeps control, also in an offline cloud. Look at the German and EU criteria for cloud providers: they can select the first large customers.
Sources
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