Stay informed with free updates
Simply sign up to the Technology sector myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox.
France’s domestic intelligence agency has cut its contract with Palantir and replaced it with local rival ChapsVision, amid a drive by European countries to reduce their dependence on US tech firms.
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced the move on Tuesday as part of a push to increase European tech sovereignty. It also revealed plans to invest an additional €655mn on AI through 2030, while government workers will be given access to an AI assistant powered by France’s Mistral.
“We must build our own strategic autonomy,” Lecornu said. “In the same way that we would not transfer the national archives to California, we need to develop our own AI tools.”
Concerns over tech sovereignty were reignited last week after the US government ordered Anthropic to limit access to its state of the art AI models for all foreign nationals, citing national security risks.
“We cannot depend on the goodwill of some partners who are capable, as we’ve seen in recent days, of cutting off access to Anthropic’s models,” said Lecornu. “Europe must find its place because what is at stake is nothing less than our democratic values.”
Palantir, whose software is widely used by US defence and intelligence agencies, has faced growing scrutiny in parts of Europe as governments reassess their dependence on US technology companies.
In the UK, its £330mn deal with the National Health Service has been subject to significant scrutiny, while London mayor Sadiq Khan vetoed a £50mn contract with the city’s Metropolitan Police.
Germany’s armed forces have excluded Palantir from contracts, while officials in Denmark and the Netherlands have similarly expressed a desire to uncouple from the US-based software group.
France’s move comes just six months after Palantir had announced a multiyear renewal of its decade-long contract with France’s DGSI intelligence services.
It follows a similar decision by German intelligence last month to choose ChapsVision’s data tools over US options as European nations become more wary of US tech providers.
Palantir said in a statement on Tuesday that its “long-term contract” with the French DGSI remains in force and “would run several additional years”, without giving specifics.
It added: “For more than 10 years, Palantir has supported the DGSI in carrying out its missions in service of France’s national security. This co-operation continues under the existing contractual commitments and in full compliance with the highest standards of security, data protection, regulatory compliance, and transparency.”
French President Emmanuel Macron has been one of the most prominent advocates for Europe to become more independent from the US on everything from technology to weapons systems.
Earlier this year, the French government ordered millions of state employees to switch from Microsoft Teams and Zoom to homegrown alternative Visio.
It also blocked satellite operator Eutelsat from selling its ground antenna business to private equity firm EQT, citing the strategic concerns and competition with Elon Musk’s Starlink.
However years-long attempts to persuade Europeans to switch from the likes of Microsoft, Google and Amazon to local options have proved an uphill battle.
“We must wean ourselves off our addiction to non-European tools,” David Amiel, France’s junior minister for the civil service whose ministry piloted the Visio project, told the FT in January. “But they must be up to the best quality standards, otherwise they will fail.”
