What happened
EU official Henna Virkkunen proposed allocating 10% of increased EU defence spending to bloc-developed artificial intelligence and quantum computing. This initiative aims to reduce reliance on non-European suppliers and enhance technological sovereignty. The European Commission is concurrently developing a dual-use technology roadmap, including a 'quantum plan' and potential 'quantum act' to consolidate fragmented member state research, alongside initiatives like the Digital Networks Act and AI Factories to foster innovation.
Why it matters
This introduces a new operational constraint mandating a minimum 10% internal EU sourcing for specific defence technology investments, increasing the burden on procurement and R&D teams to identify and integrate bloc-developed solutions. The push for consolidated research via a 'quantum plan' creates an oversight burden for strategic planning and project management, requiring enhanced due diligence to align fragmented national efforts with overarching EU objectives and ensure interoperability.
Subscribe for Weekly Updates
Stay ahead with our weekly AI and tech briefings, delivered every Tuesday.
