Want digital sovereignty? That'll be 1% of your GDP into AI infrastructure please

Countries intent on digital sovereignty will need to invest at least 1 percent of their entire gross domestic product (GDP) into AI infrastructure by 2029, according to analyst biz Gartner.

The consultant claims digital sovereignty will lead to countries being locked into region-specific AI platforms based on proprietary contextual data. This means their domestic AI stacks may be bespoke, with reduced collaboration and duplication of effort driving up the cost.

"Countries with digital sovereignty goals are increasing investment in domestic AI stacks as they look for alternatives to the closed US model, including computing power, datacenters, infrastructure and models aligned with local laws, culture, and region," said Gartner VP Analyst Gaurav Gupta.

Gartner reckons 35 percent of countries will be locked into region-specific systems by next year.

Localized models deliver more contextual value, outperforming non-customized global models in applications such as education, legal compliance, and public services, Gartner says, especially ...