The Road to Sovereign AI: Policy, Power, and the New Tech Race

Sovereign AI is becoming a strategic imperative for governments and enterprises seeking greater control over their digital infrastructure, data, and AI systems. It empowers nations to localize AI development, ensure regulatory compliance, and align technology use with national priorities such as security, cultural identity, and economic resilience. This movement is gaining momentum through initiatives such as national compute infrastructure, sovereign cloud environments, and regionally trained language models, which are driving adoption across public and regulated sectors.

In this Viewpoint, we examine sovereign AI’s evolution, including its core characteristics, implementation models, and strategic drivers. The report highlights key trends shaping adoption, such as the rise of selective and layered sovereignty, geopolitical drivers, and the demand for ethical and culturally aligned AI. It analyzes real-world use cases across industries and functions, maps sovereign AI strategies across major countries, and categorizes provider ecosystems offering hardware, cloud, and implementation services. Furthermore, it offers valuable insights for enterprises navigating sovereign AI mandates, enabling them to stay ahead of compliance requirements, support national strategies, and build long-term digital resilience.