First concerted move by a group of companies
Increasingly isolationist United States has sharpened focus on ‘digital sovereignty’
Alliance follows months of discussion
By Supantha Mukherjee
STOCKHOLM, Feb 13 - A group of 15 companies, led by Microsoft (MSFT.O) and Ericsson (ERICb.ST) , launched on Friday the “Trusted Tech Alliance,” built around five principles to safely use technology regardless of where it is developed.
The initiative is the first concerted move by a group of global companies to address concerns about where data is stored as the increasingly isolationist United States, under U.S. President Donald Trump, has sharpened Europe’s and Asia’s focus on “digital sovereignty”.
Governments have considered new regulations and domestic investment strategies to reduce digital dependence on the United States and other foreign suppliers.
“This is a period of time when many governments and countries are feeling pressure to create stronger technology borders, to focus more on their own digital sovereignty,” Microsoft President Brad Smith told Reuters in an interview.
“Our companies are working together to set this high standard to really make clear what the definition of trust is,” he said.
<h3>ERICSSON SAYS NO COUNTRY ALONE CAN BE FULLY SOVEREIGN</h3>
The alliance includes companies such as Anthropic, Amazon Web Services, Alphabet’s (GOOGL.O) Google, India’s Reliance Jio Platforms, Finland’s Nokia (NOKIA.HE) , Canada’s Cohere, Japan’s NTT (9432.T) , and Germany’s SAP (SAPG.DE) .
Its five principles call for strong corporate governance, ethical conduct, secure technology development, adherence to global security standards across supply chains, and support for an open digital environment.
Ericsson and Microsoft started discussing the formation of the alliance in the middle of last year.
“What does the word sovereignty mean? If you label it… it can actually be a trade barrier,” Ericsson CEO Börje Ekholm told Reuters. “There are no countries on this planet that alone can be fully sovereign.”
Companies joining the alliance will self-attest to adhering to the principles, Smith said, adding that the principles also include provisions for independent assessments.
Alliance members operate across connectivity, cloud infrastructure, semiconductors, software, and artificial intelligence.
“We will know we are successful if the current trend of countries pulling apart on technology issues finds a counterweight in what we’re doing,” Smith said.

ERIC

MSFT

Microsoft and Ericsson have launched the "Trusted Tech Alliance" with 15 companies to address digital sovereignty concerns. This initiative aims to establish standards for safe technology use, emphasizing corporate governance, ethical conduct, and adherence to global security standards. The alliance responds to increasing pressures for countries to reduce dependence on foreign technology, particularly from the U.S. Members include major firms like Amazon Web Services, Google, and Nokia. The alliance seeks to counteract the trend of technological isolationism by promoting collaboration and trust in technology development.

- A group of 15 companies, including Microsoft and Ericsson, formed the "Trusted Tech Alliance" to promote safe technology use amid rising concerns over data sovereignty driven by U.S. isolationism.  
- The alliance emphasizes five principles: strong corporate governance, ethical conduct, secure technology development, global security standards, and an open digital environment, addressing governments' push for digital sovereignty.  
- Members, ranging from Amazon Web Services to Nokia, will self-attest their adherence to these principles, aiming to counter the trend of increasing technology isolationism among countries.

Microsoft, Ericsson lead global tech alliance for digital trust