In written responses to the EU Parliament, Virkkunen pledged to make Europe an “AI continent,” with plans for an “AI Factories Initiative” to provide startups with high-performance computing resources within her first 100 days.
A proposed “Cloud and AI Development Act” would also streamline investment and set energy efficiency goals for AI development.
Virkkunen appears to be aiming for a balanced approach to tech sovereignty, allowing third-country providers while safeguarding sensitive data through the Data Act’s shielding provisions.
Child protection is also a priority, with Virkkunen focusing on privacy-based age verification under the Digital Services Act by mid-2025, while advancing stalled child sexual abuse material (CSAM) regulations amid encryption debates.
Recently, Munich Security Conference founder Wolfgang Ischinger warned that Europe’s technological gap to global tech leaders like the US and China is the biggest long-term challenge to the continent’s security.
He believes that it’s particularly difficult for Europe to play catch up amid the AI and tech boom due to the continent’s fragmented capital markets.
