Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. Chairman Joe Tsai said Europe should build its own computing infrastructure and use open-source artificial intelligence to pursue technological independence from the US and China. Speaking at the Wave by Vento conference in Turin, Italy, on Wednesday, Oct. 7, he warned that a country relying entirely on another country’s technology could lose access if political circumstances changed.
The Sovereignty Question
“No country would want to entirely trust another country's technology: if there's a change in government, a change in circumstances, they can just shut off the technology from you,” Tsai said. His remarks put control over technology at the centre of his argument: Europe, he said, needs a way to develop and use AI without entirely depending on systems another country supplies.
Tsai described open-source artificial intelligence as Europe’s best route to technological independence from the US and China. He also urged the region to build its own computing infrastructure. He presented the two elements together: open-source AI and locally built capacity to train and run models.
The warning centered on the risk of dependence. Tsai gave the example of a supplier or country cutting off access after a change in government or circumstances. He didn't say such a cutoff had happened. His point was that complete reliance on another country’s technology could leave a country exposed to that possibility.
Building Europe’s Own Capacity
The infrastructure Tsai called for would support training and operation of AI models. He urged Europe to develop that capacity itself, rather than rely entirely on technology from abroad. His comments didn't specify a timetable, funding plan or particular infrastructure project.
Open source was the route he identified for Europe’s technological independence. Tsai didn't present it as a guarantee Europe would become independent; he called it the region’s best shot. His remarks connected that route to the broader goal of reducing reliance on technology from the US and China.
The conference took place in Turin on Oct. 7, 2026. Tsai spoke there on that date, making the case for European investment in computing infrastructure and for open-source AI. The comments reported from the event centered on who controls the technology a country depends on, and whether access could be withdrawn.
A Warning About Reliance
Tsai’s statement distinguished using another country’s technology from trusting it entirely. He argued that no country would want total dependence because a government change or other changed circumstances could result in access being shut off. That was his stated concern; he didn't identify a specific country, company or government as having threatened to do so.
His proposal focused on Europe’s ability to train and run AI models and pursue technological independence from the US and China. The report of his remarks didn't detail how Europe would build the infrastructure or how open-source models would be selected. Tsai’s central message was that developing its own computing capacity and using open-source AI offer Europe a path away from complete dependence on technology controlled elsewhere.