International Initiative for Digital Sovereignty Microsoft, Ericsson, SAP and 12 Other Companies Form Trusted Tech Alliance

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At the Munich Security Conference, 15 technology companies from Africa, Asia, Europe and North America announced the founding of the Trusted Tech Alliance (TTA). The leading figures include Microsoft, Ericsson and SAP. The initiative sees itself as a cross-industry alliance along the entire technology stack—from connectivity and cloud infrastructure to chips, software and AI.

The alliance is responding to an environment characterized by geopolitical tensions, increasing regulatory requirements and debates about digital sovereignty. Many countries are currently examining how they can reduce dependencies in central digital infrastructures. At the same time, trust in digital technologies remains a sensitive issue—particularly with regard to data storage, security and control.

According to the companies involved, common, verifiable principles should help to ensure transparency and reliability regardless of a provider's country of origin. The focus is on binding standards for governance, development, operation and cooperation.

Five Principles for A Trustworthy Technology Stack

At the heart of the initiative are five principles that define what a "trustworthy" technology provider should achieve. These include transparent corporate governance and ethical conduct as well as secure development processes and the possibility of independent audits.

Another focus is on monitoring supply chains and compliance with global safety standards. Alliance members are committed to contractually passing on safety and quality requirements to their suppliers. The aim is to systematically address risks along complex value chains.

The initiative also emphasizes the importance of an open and interoperable digital ecosystem. Cooperation across national borders is seen as a prerequisite for resilience. The Alliance thus opposes the fragmentation of technological markets into separate systems.

Finally, the companies undertake to respect the applicable legal framework and to protect personal data. The initiative thus addresses key requirements that have been further tightened by regulation in many regions—for example in Europe and parts of Asia.

Background: Digital Sovereignty And Geopolitical Tensions

It was founded against the backdrop of an increasingly isolationist technology policy in individual countries. Discussions about national cloud infrastructures, local data storage and export controls have become increasingly important in recent years. In Europe, the term "digital sovereignty" is partly understood as an industrial policy instrument.

"What does the word sovereignty mean? If you call it that, it can actually become a barrier to trade," Ericsson CEO Börje Ekholm told the Reuters news agency. "There is no country on this planet that can be fully sovereign on its own."

Representatives from Microsoft and Ericsson emphasize that technological sovereignty does not necessarily mean isolation. In their opinion, no country can cover all elements of a modern technology stack alone—from network technology and chips to AI models. The alliance should therefore serve as a platform to enable international cooperation on the basis of clearly defined standards.

The members cover different areas along the entire electronics value chain: In addition to cloud providers and AI companies, network equipment suppliers, semiconductor manufacturers and software groups are also represented. The following companies currently participate in the Trusted Tech Alliance: Anthropic, AWS (Amazon Web Services), Cassava Technologies, Cohere, Ericsson, Google Cloud, Hanwha, Jio Platforms, Microsoft, Nokia, Nscale, NTT, Rapidus, Saab and SAP.

Compliance with the principles is to be ensured through a voluntary commitment by the members. In addition, independent audit mechanisms are planned in order to make implementation traceable. Details on specific certification procedures or sanction mechanisms have not yet been published.

This development is relevant for companies in the electronics industry insofar as supply chains, security requirements and compliance specifications are increasingly being coordinated internationally. Standards that are defined in large alliances can have an influence on tenders, partnerships and investment decisions in the medium to long term.

The Trusted Tech Alliance sees itself as an open alliance and plans to include further companies. Whether and to what extent the initiative establishes itself as a reference framework for international technology cooperation will largely depend on how concretely and verifiably the formulated principles are implemented in practice.(sg)

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