SAP CEO: Europe Doesn't Need More Data Centers

AI Infrastructure and Development in Europe - Europe should prioritize developing AI use cases for industries like life science, logistics, and manufacturing rather than competing on infrastructure with the US and China [2] - Focusing solely on building data centers in Europe may not meet current demand; a demand-driven approach from the software and AI layer is needed to stimulate chip demand [5][6] - While infrastructure is necessary, Europe's focus should be on the application layer and building industrial AI, as customers have choices beyond US hyperscalers [4][15][16] AI Regulation and Sovereignty - The primary concern in European AI discussions is often regulation, potentially overshadowing competitiveness and opportunities [7][8] - The EU AI Act, while well-intentioned, risks hindering development if member states create overlapping and inconsistent policies, impeding startup scaling [9][10][11] - Data sovereignty means controlling data location and access, with encryption, rather than solely focusing on the origin of hardware components [14] - Complete technological independence from the US is unrealistic; hardware components will inevitably come from various global sources [13][14]