data sovereignty

Enterprise AI adoption faces hurdles due to high infrastructure costs and energy consumption. NTT’s tsuzumi 2, a lean LLM designed for a single GPU, offers a solution. Deployed by Tokyo Online University, it enhances learning support while ensuring data sovereignty. Performance matches larger models in specific domains like finance and healthcare, particularly for Japanese language tasks. This approach prioritizes data security and cost-effectiveness, presenting a viable alternative to resource-intensive LLMs, especially for organizations with specific sector needs and data privacy concerns.

Dubai prioritizes rapid AI deployment in governance, focusing on scalability, ethics, and interoperability over sheer financial investment. Its DubaiAI virtual assistant manages 60% of inquiries, reducing costs by 35%. The emirate reskills its workforce for higher-value AI roles and emphasizes speed, moving initiatives from pilot to deployment in months. Dubai integrates ethics from procurement to assessment, balancing innovation and data sovereignty with its hybrid model. The city aims to become a global blueprint for AI-powered public services with citizen trust and efficiency.

In a CNBC interview, Sir Nick Clegg cautioned against the growing entanglement of technology and politics, advocating for a “respectful distance” to prevent stifling innovation and eroding public trust. He highlighted the complexities of data security and algorithmic control, using the U.S. government’s approach to TikTok as an example. Clegg warned against data localization trends and the potential balkanization of the internet, emphasizing the U.S.-China relationship as a key risk. He stressed the need for international cooperation to preserve the open and interconnected nature of the internet.

SAP will invest €20 billion over the next decade to expand its sovereign cloud infrastructure in Europe, including IaaS and on-premise options. This initiative aims to address data sovereignty concerns and GDPR compliance by ensuring customer data remains within the EU. The move positions SAP to compete with Microsoft and Amazon while aligning with the European Commission’s focus on technological sovereignty and AI development. SAP is also involved in the EU’s “AI gigafactory” initiative.

DeepSeek, a Beijing-based AGI startup, announced plans to open-source five production-grade code repositories, including training frameworks and inference engines, positioning itself as a transparent alternative to Silicon Valley secrecy. Despite its rapid growth—offering GPT-4-level tools freely while monetizing enterprise APIs—the company faces scrutiny over data ties to Chinese state-linked entities, U.S. procurement bans, and IP disputes. Analysts debate whether its “daily unlocks” strategy truly fosters open collaboration or disguises proprietary advantages, as geopolitical tensions intensify in the west-east AI rivalry.