Businesses are supported by choice and flexibility
European businesses, particularly startups and advanced AI adopters, are succeeding because they build within open, flexible technology landscapes that sustain an innovation flywheel. 92% of European businesses report using providers from multiple regions. They cite access to broader functionality (52%), improved scalability, performance or integration (49%), competitive pricing or favourable commercial terms (44%), and strong data security and governance (42%) as key drivers of this decision.
Access to global technology directly supports competitiveness. 82% say it is important for AI adoption, 80% for innovation, and 83% for scaling quickly – rising to 87% among advanced adopters. European startups, in particular, rely on this choice to iterate rapidly and compete internationally from day one.
European business competitiveness is grounded in capability: secure access to technologies that best meet their innovation needs, rapid deployment, security and resilience, and the ability to scale across borders without unnecessary friction. When policy reduces friction and preserves openness, it lowers the cost of innovation, accelerates commercial uptake, and expands geographic opportunities. Furthermore, by strengthening trust and certainty, responsibility itself becomes a driver of adoption, reinforcing the broader innovation cycle. That expansion drives reinvestment into new technologies and capabilities, reinforcing a virtuous innovation flywheel that compounds growth and strengthens Europe’s competitive position over time.
For European companies, operating in compressed innovation cycles, speed and scalability are decisive advantages. Rather than prioritising the origin of technology, businesses focus on performance, integration, security, and commercial viability. Given the diversity of infrastructure, foundation models, and applications, no foundational model can meet every operational need. The ability to combine, adapt, and switch between technologies is therefore central to innovation.
Choice and openness are Europe’s key competitive strengths. The ability of European businesses to build with the best technologies available, reflects a confident innovation landscape. It enables firms to remain agile, resilient, and globally competitive. Rather than constraining this flexibility, Europe should recognise and reinforce it – ensuring that policy frameworks preserve choice, reward capability, and support companies in scaling internationally from a European base. In an era defined by speed and technological convergence, maintaining choice will be central to sustaining Europe’s long-term competitiveness.
Most of our oceans remain unmapped, yet they hold the key to the planet’s future. XOCEAN operates a global fleet of uncrewed, ultra-low emission vessels that collect critical ocean data across 23 jurisdictions for renewable energy projects. Powered by AWS, which enables real-time streaming of seabed data from vessels to the cloud for AI-driven processing and analysis, XOCEAN transforms how marine intelligence is captured and delivered. Having already supported over 48 GW of offshore wind development with the aim of reaching 100 GW this decade, XOCEAN has gathered more than 5.8 million gigabytes of ocean data while dramatically reducing emissions compared to traditional survey ships.
Over the next five years, XOCEAN’s goal is to prevent the emission of one million tons of carbon while protecting fragile marine ecosystems. It’s ocean science reimagined – cleaner, safer, and more accessible to all.
“Our model only works because we can operate seamlessly across jurisdictions, stream data globally in real time, and scale quickly. AWS enables that technical backbone. But as demand for offshore wind accelerates, European businesses must be empowered with the skills, funding and regulatory clarity needed to scale innovation at the pace the energy transition demands.”
Charlotte Beechey
Head of Business Development
XOCEAN