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Shaoshan Liu

Europe’s debate over its technological future is both timely and necessary. The centre of gravity for platform technologies, advanced semiconductors, hyperscale cloud infrastructure and artificial intelligence (AI) has undeniably shifted towards the United States and China.
While the US boasts giants like Microsoft and Nvidia, and China has cultivated powerhouses like Huawei and Tencent, Europe has seen its share of the digital platform market shrink.
However, viewing this shift as inevitable technological marginalisation is a mistake. Europe retains a formidable strategic advantage that is often underestimated in global discussions: the ability to translate complex innovations into compliant, financeable and trusted systems across multiple jurisdictions. In an increasingly multipolar world, this capacity for reliable deployment can be as influential as invention itself.
The next phase of technological competition will not be defined solely by who trains the largest AI model, but by who can make these frontier technologies work safely at scale in real economies, healthcare systems, energy grids and high-speed transport networks. This is the domain where Europe can still lead.
Technological power is often measured in patent citations or headline breakthroughs. Yet, real-world influence is shaped by the last mile of adoption: certification, complex systems integration, cybersecurity and long-term maintenance. These factors determine whether a country actually benefits from AI and automation or simply becomes a passive consumer of standards defined elsewhere.
European firms are uniquely prepared for this role. Companies like Siemens in industrial automation, Bosch in connected mobility, Ericsson in telecoms and Airbus in aviation have spent years operating across dozens of regulatory environments.

Bosch, for instance, excels at integrating safety-critical systems, from braking control to driver-assistance systems, that must function flawlessly whether deployed in Shanghai, Stuttgart or San Francisco, despite different data laws and technical standards. They are accustomed to managing complex supply chains and long asset life cycles under strict compliance regimes.
This experience gives Europe a comparative advantage in execution at scale, an advantage that neither Silicon Valley’s speed nor Beijing’s scale can easily replicate.
For Europe, achieving strategic autonomy does not require technological isolation, nor does it require choosing sides in a binary US–China rivalry. A more constructive path is to occupy the neutral ground of deployment: enabling countries worldwide, especially in the Global South, to adopt advanced technologies while managing risk and avoiding vendor lock-in.
This approach aligns with Europe’s regulatory culture, exemplified by the “Brussels effect”, where European Union standards often become global benchmarks. This strategy can be operationalised through five concrete areas.

The first is providing certification and compliance services. With the introduction of the EU AI Act, Europe is already setting the pace for technical safety and ethics. By helping third countries operationalise trustworthy AI and data governance through testing protocols, Europe can become the default partner for responsible adoption.
The second is integrating systems across vendors. Most nations do not wish to be reliant on a single country’s technology stack. They prefer multi-vendor systems, perhaps combining US software algorithms with Chinese hardware sensors and local infrastructure. Europe can lead by providing the interoperability standards and middleware that allow these diverse components to function together seamlessly.
Third is global service networks. In sectors like green energy or high-speed rail, value lies in reliability. European firms already manage maintenance for wind farms and power grids around the world. Extending this discipline to AI-enabled digital systems is a natural evolution.
Fourthly, Europe can help with financing. By pairing deployment with export credit and green finance, Europe can make large-scale infrastructure projects viable.

Lastly, Europe can create feedback loops for innovation. Deployment generates operational data. The lessons learned from integrating smart grids in South America or automated ports in Asia can guide European research investment in safety-critical software and robotics.
This is not a retreat from innovation; it is a pragmatic strategy. For this model to succeed, the EU must treat deployment as critical infrastructure, investing in shared testbeds and benchmarking pipelines.
Crucially, Europe should present itself as a partner that enables choice rather than dependence. Neutral, trusted deployment is valuable precisely because it increases resilience and reduces systemic risk. In a fragmented world, a Europe that enables the integration of the best technologies from around the world, regardless of origin, plays a role that is not only economically rational but geopolitically stabilising.
Europe already possesses the global footprint, regulatory credibility and operational expertise to lead this next wave. The challenge is organising these strengths into a coherent strategy, making deployment power a central pillar of technological sovereignty in a multipolar world.


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To avoid technological marginalisation, Europe can play to its strengths by focusing on deployment standards instead of the US-China rivalry


To avoid technological marginalisation, Europe can play to its strengths by focusing on deployment standards instead of the US-China rivalry.


Technology

Artificial intelligence (AI)

Renewable energy

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Semiconductors: Industry Trends

US-China tech war

Global South

Microsoft

Nvidia

Siemens

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China

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Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)


Europe’s tech strength lies in deployment, not rivalry

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}To avoid technological marginalisation, Europe can play to its strengths by focusing on deployment standards instead of the US-China rivalry

To avoid technological marginalisation, Europe can play to its strengths by focusing on deployment standards instead of the US-China rivalry