While the European Union’s recent Tech Sovereignty Package emphasizes manufacturing and software openness, it largely neglects the crucial role of open-source hardware in achieving genuine technological independence.
- EU’s tech sovereignty strategy prioritizes software and manufacturing but underplays hardware design openness.
- Open-source hardware enables transparency and local innovation critical to reducing foreign dependencies.
- Initiatives like RISC-V and open-source EDA tools show promise but need stronger EU strategic support.
What happened
The European Commission released its Tech Sovereignty Package and accompanying Open Source Strategy emphasizing the need for technological independence. The documents focus on securing semiconductor manufacturing capacity and improving software openness as key levers against strategic dependencies on non-European technologies and providers.
Despite acknowledging manufacturing vulnerabilities, the package largely bypasses open-source hardware design, which involves chip architectures, design tools, and intellectual property that underpin supply chains and production. Current dependencies remain embedded in proprietary physical-layer technologies controlled mainly outside Europe.
Why it matters
Open-source hardware can provide Europe with transparency, auditability, and the freedom to innovate and adapt technology without restrictive licensing or foreign control. These qualities are vital for structural sovereignty given that hardware dependencies are harder to mitigate than software ones, as physical infrastructure cannot be rapidly forded or shifted.
By not placing open hardware design firmly on the agenda, the EU risks perpetuating reliance on external suppliers and constrained capabilities in critical components. This potentially undermines the broader goal of digital resilience and strategic autonomy in an increasingly geopolitically sensitive tech landscape.
What to watch next
Key EU initiatives like the Chips Act 2.0 and the proposed Open EU Foundry program target manufacturing scale but should be complemented by stronger investment and policy focus on open-source hardware development, including expanding support for projects like RISC-V processors and open electronic design automation tools.
The balance between commercial and open-source models in hardware design and tooling will be critical. Monitoring how the European Commission integrates hardware openness into strategic planning and funding will indicate whether Europe can build meaningful sovereignty beyond surface-level manufacturing capacity expansions.