Sovereign AI without the slogans
"Sovereign" is a set of concrete constraints on data, models, compute and operations. Here is what each one really demands, and how to grade a vendor against them.
Every cloud and AI vendor now has a sovereignty page. Almost none of them tell you which of the four constraints they actually satisfy.
Sovereignty is not a feeling. It is the answer to four questions, and a "yes" to one does not imply a "yes" to the others.
The four constraints
- Data — where does it rest, where does it move, and who can be compelled to hand it over?
- Model — can you run it where you choose, inspect its weights, and keep using it if the vendor changes terms?
- Compute — whose hardware, in whose jurisdiction, operated under whose law?
- Operations — who holds the keys, who can push a change, and who do you call at 3am?