The Myth of the Sovereign Tech Stack
AI-generated image · US National Wire
New research suggests most large organizations are abandoning the goal of total tech independence in favor of managing critical vendor dependencies.
The ambition of achieving complete digital sovereignty—defined as an organization's ability to control its data, software, infrastructure, and the laws governing them—is proving unrealistic for the majority of large-scale operators, as The Register first reported. According to research from Capgemini, 59 percent of organizations view total technological independence as an unattainable goal.
Instead of pursuing a fully independent stack, two-thirds of organizations are pivoting toward what Capgemini calls "resilient interdependence." This approach accepts a continued reliance on external technology providers while focusing on ensuring those dependencies do not jeopardize critical operations. This shift is particularly evident among European respondents, 75 percent of whom define sovereignty through this lens of resilience, compared to 50 percent of those in the US. In the UK, 56 percent of respondents associate sovereignty primarily with risk mitigation and resilience.
The operational risk is underscored by a significant lack of visibility and agility. Capgemini's Digital Sovereignty Index, which analyzed 866 organizations, found that 86 percent have significant exposure to externally controlled or foreign supply chains. Furthermore, only 14 percent of the 1,300 executives surveyed in April 2026 reported having end-to-end visibility into their technology ecosystem dependencies.
For many, the inability to pivot quickly is a systemic vulnerability. The Register reports that 36 percent of organizations estimate it would take more than a year to move away from a critical technology provider, while 10 percent stated they have no viable alternative available at all. Despite these hurdles, the issue remains a priority at the highest levels; 93 percent of respondents say the topic has been discussed by their boards, and 44 percent rank it as a top priority. AI has emerged as a primary concern, with 75 percent of organizations identifying it as a key focus of their sovereignty efforts, surpassing cloud infrastructure, software, data, and cybersecurity.