Western European firms over-reliant on big US tech – report

US providers could misuse clients’ info or cut them off for political reasons, a Swiss cloud provider has warned

Businesses in Western European countries allied with the US are heavily reliant on American digital services, leaving their data exposed to a range of strategic risks, according to a new report.

More than 74% of all publicly listed Western European companies rely on US technology providers, the Swiss cloud company Proton reported on Tuesday. In some countries – including the French real estate market, the Spanish energy industry, and a large portion of the Irish economy – entire sectors are dependent on US services.

American firms could use European data to train artificial intelligence models, share it with the US government, or block services to European clients under geopolitical pressure.

This dependence contributes to a talent drain from Europe and hampers domestic innovation, the study warns.

Europe outsourced its digital backbone for decades.

Today, that choice has become a strategic liability.

Our new study shows how deep that dependency runs — starting with email, the gateway to every company’s stack.

Let's unpack it 👇
1 / 8 pic.twitter.com/CUvypI4YQu— Proton (@ProtonPrivacy) August 5, 2025

Proton’s findings are based on an analysis of the email domains used by companies across 31 European nations, not including Russia, which it claims reflect a preference for other elements of the “tech stack.”

Only four countries were found to be less than 50% dependent on US providers. Iceland, Norway, Ireland, and Finland each showed dependency levels exceeding 90%, according to the data.

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“For decades, Europe turned to US tech instead of investing at home,” Proton stated. “Today, that choice threatens its economic stability, cybersecurity, and democratic sovereignty.”

The Swiss company promoted its own services as an alternative and voiced support for the European Union’s EuroStack initiative. The project aims to develop sovereign digital capabilities, including chip manufacturing, cloud infrastructure, and AI systems.