More than one in five companies in Germany view their dependence on digital products and services supplied by US firms as a risk, yet many still have no plan to reduce it, according to the latest survey from the Ifo Institute.
The Munich-based think tank said the findings point to a striking gap between awareness and action. Klaus Wohlrabe, who heads Ifo’s surveys, said companies appear to understand the vulnerability of their position but are doing little to address it. He s...
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uggested that higher costs, as well as uncertainty over whether suppliers and customers would also be willing to back a move towards greater digital independence, may be holding firms back.
The survey found that just under 88% of companies use products from US providers, while 31% describe that dependence as strong. Among those that regard the issue as risky, more than four in ten do not intend to take any steps to change course.
The study was triggered by a temporary suspension in June of access for foreign users to Anthropic’s most advanced artificial intelligence models after a US government export-control order, a move that briefly underlined how quickly access to key digital tools can be affected by political decisions. Anthropic later restored access after the restrictions were lifted in July, according to company statements reported by technology and business outlets.
The Ifo data suggest that concern is far from evenly spread across the economy. The services sector was the most exposed, with 39% of firms saying they felt significantly affected, while construction was least exposed, at 15%. In advertising and market research, 72% of companies said they were heavily dependent on US digital services, yet only 51% considered that dependence highly risky.
When firms do plan action, the most common response is to switch to European alternatives, cited by 34% of respondents. Another 30% said they would diversify their suppliers, while 18% are considering building their own IT infrastructure.
The institute also noted that the European Union accounts for less than 5% of the world’s reported computing capacity for artificial intelligence applications, a reminder of how far the bloc still lags in critical digital infrastructure.
Clemens Fuest, president of Ifo, said there is clearly a willingness to move to other solutions, but not enough options. He argued that Europe must accelerate the construction of data centres and energy infrastructure and shorten approval processes from years to months. He also said the public sector should use procurement more strategically, tying contracts to longer-term commitments with European suppliers in order to give them more certainty than fragmented private demand can provide.
Source: Noah Wire Services
