63% of Spanish companies plan to increase investments in sovereign AI in the coming years. A figure aligned with the European figure (60%) and with that of neighboring countries such as Germany (73%), Italy (71%) or Switzerland (64%).
This is confirmed by Accenture’s latest study, Sovereign AI: From Risk Management to Accelerating Growth, which shows that European organizations are placing greater emphasis on maintaining control over data and infrastructure in response to growing geopolitical uncertainty, which is likely to accelerate demand for sovereign AI.
This term refers to a country’s ability to develop and deploy sovereign AI using local infrastructure, data, models and talent, with the aim of protecting information from foreign access, strengthening competitiveness and reducing dependence on non-European technology providers. Sovereign AI is thus consolidated as a strategic pillar for digital autonomy.
Sectors with greater adoption
In this context, in Spain, 60% of organizations are looking for sovereign AI solutions as a response to current geopolitical tensions (compared to 62% in Europe), a concern that is accentuated among Danish (80%), Irish (72%) and German (72%) organizations. Sectors with higher regulatory requirements and sensitive data are the most likely to lead the adoption of sovereign AI: banking (76%), utilities (69%), and electric, water or gas utilities (70%).
Mercedes Oblanca, CEO and president of Accenture in Spain and Portugal, points out that “Europe faces the paradox of AI. Its leaders understand the need to accelerate the adoption of this technology to drive innovation and growth, but, at the same time, the largely external origin of these technologies can be perceived as a threat. A sovereign AI approach can help solve this challenge, allowing critical operations to be protected without hindering innovation or competitiveness.”
Balance data control
The survey highlights that, on average, only a third (32%) of AI data and initiatives in Spanish organizations require a sovereign AI approach due to regulatory requirements or the sensitivity of the information, in line with European data (36%). The capital markets and public sector sectors are where these measures are applied to a greater proportion of data.
However, European organizations are seeking a balance between the control offered by sovereign AI and access to global innovation. Thus, 65% of companies, both in Spain and in Europe, recognize that they cannot remain competitive without technology suppliers from other regions. Furthermore, 62% in our country are considering using sovereign AI solutions from both European and non-European providers.
Regarding the challenges to adopting this technology, 42% of Spanish organizations point out the limited availability of national sovereign AI solutions compared to global models, a percentage that drops to 26% in Europe as a whole.
As part of empowering a European AI, Accenture is helping Telia Cygate take the lead, helping Swedish organizations adopt scalable and secure AI services. Accenture is also working across the European ecosystem, with AI infrastructure providers such as Amsterdam-based Nebius, to provide clients with a foundation for their own sovereign AI factories to enable them to meet data residency requirements. Nebius is an AI cloud platform designed to support the full lifecycle of AI workloads, integrating custom hardware, proprietary software, and energy-efficient data centers located in Europe and the Middle East.
“A sovereign AI approach is not about storing everything in the same place. The objective is to make technological decisions based on the degree of control that organizations want to exercise over data, infrastructure and AI models, while benefiting from the scale, breadth of services and pace of innovation offered by some non-European providers,” says Jordi Roca, managing director of Accenture Technology in Spain and Portugal. “These decisions are determined by the use case and national priorities. “Some cases only need local data residency, while others, in defense for example, require full sovereignty over the different components of AI: local data, infrastructure and model, advanced encryption or even isolated systems when necessary.”
From risk management to competitive advantage
Only 15% of Spanish organizations (19% in Europe) perceive sovereign AI as a competitive advantage, while 45% adopt it mainly for regulatory compliance reasons. Sovereign AI is still considered a technical issue, since only 9% of Spanish companies believe that it should be part of the agenda of the CEO and management committees.
Only 15% of Spanish organizations perceive sovereign AI as a competitive advantage, but 45% adopt it for regulatory compliance reasons
However, recognition of its strategic importance is growing: 73% of organizations call for a key role for governments and institutions such as the European Union to reinforce digital sovereignty through regulations, subsidies and public investment. In this context, sovereign AI is emerging as an essential element of the European technological future.
Accenture recommends four actions to maximize the opportunities of sovereign AI:
- CEO Ownership: Sovereign AI must be a strategic priority.
- Rethinking sovereignty: moving from risk mitigation to value creation.
- Expand the ecosystem: combine local trust and global innovation.
- Redefine the architecture: integrate sovereign AI into all layers of the technological system.
