Fifteen companies spanning cloud, telecoms, semiconductors and AI set out shared principles for a “trusted technology stack”, as sovereignty debates intensify in Europe
A group of 15 technology companies from Africa, Asia, Europe and North America has launched the Trusted Tech Alliance (TTA), an initiative aimed at defining common principles for what it describes as a “trusted technology stack” spanning connectivity, cloud, semiconductors, software and AI.
The announcement was made at the Munich Security Conference, positioning the initiative squarely within a wider geopolitical debate over technology resilience, security and sovereignty. The founding members are Anthropic, AWS, Cassava Technologies, Cohere, Ericsson, Google Cloud, Hanwha, Jio Platforms, Microsoft, Nokia, Nscale, NTT, Rapidus, Saab and SAP.
The companies say they will adhere to five principles covering corporate governance and ethical conduct, secure development and independent assessment, supply chain oversight, support for an open and resilient digital ecosystem, and respect for the rule of law and data protection. The stated aim is to provide customers and governments with greater assurance around transparency, security and operational practices, regardless of a supplier’s nationality.
“In the current geopolitical environment, it is critical that like-minded companies work together to protect security and advance high global standards to preserve trust in technology across borders,” said Microsoft vice chair and president Brad Smith. “Based not on the nationality of the provider but on shared commitments to customers, this alliance brings together leading companies around clear, verifiable principles that show technology can be secure, reliable, and responsibly operated wherever it is deployed.”
US involvement
The launch comes at a time when governments, particularly in Europe, are reassessing dependencies across the digital supply chain, from cloud infrastructure to advanced semiconductors and AI models. The European debate around digital sovereignty has intensified in recent years, driven in part by policy decisions and export controls introduced by successive US administrations.
Against that backdrop, some European observers are likely to raise eyebrows at the prominent role of the three largest US hyperscalers – AWS, Google Cloud and Microsoft – within an initiative framed around trust and sovereignty. While the alliance stresses that its commitments apply “regardless of where technology is built or deployed”, critics may question how this aligns with calls in parts of Europe for greater technological autonomy and reduced reliance on non-European cloud providers.
Amazon chief global affairs and legal officer David Zapolsky said: “In an era of rapid technological change, collaboration between like-minded industry peers is essential to promote customer trust and realise the full benefit of technology on the economy and society. We are joining the Trusted Tech Alliance to reinforce our continued commitment to provide customers with trusted, secure, and resilient technology.”
From the telecoms sector, Ericsson president and CEO Börje Ekholm (above) argued that trust cannot be delivered by a single player. “No single company or a country can build a secure and trusted digital stack alone. Rather, trust and security can only be achieved together. That’s why, together with like-minded industry peers, we have launched the Trusted Tech Alliance – an initiative committed to verifiable trust practices across the digital stack.”
The Alliance also includes semiconductor player Rapidus, defence and aerospace group Saab, Japanese operator NTT and enterprise software provider SAP, reflecting an attempt to span multiple layers of the technology stack.
The TTA says it intends to grow its membership and work with governments and customers to shape shared approaches that support national and international efforts to strengthen resilience and competitiveness. Whether it will be seen in Europe as a genuine multilateral framework or as a US-led coalition with global partners may depend on how its principles are operationalised – and how they intersect with ongoing regulatory and sovereignty initiatives across the EU.
