Infrastructure of the future: Chaslau Koniukh tells how Europe is building 'sovereign AI'

Europe is investing heavily in its own AI infrastructure in 2025 to reduce its dependence on American giants. Nvidia has announced plans to build 200 GPU centers and several “AI gigafactories” on the continent, as well as partnerships with companies such as Mistral AI, BMW, Volvo, Siemens, and Novo Nordisk.

As international financial expert Chaslau Koniukh notes, this trend is supported by government initiatives: the UK has announced the allocation of £ 1 billion for national computing power, France and Germany have announced the creation of AI hubs as part of a digital sovereignty strategy. Experts from Euro HPC note that such infrastructure will allow EU countries to form their own high-performance computing networks, reducing dependence on US public cloud services. The goal is not only to allow the launch of AI models , but also to ensure control over data, security and national autonomy.

AI in Business: From Automation to Generative Breakthrough. Chaslau Koniukh Explains

According to research by the European Commission, the importance of AI adoption for increasing the digital maturity of companies is growing rapidly: 90% of participants in digital innovation hubs improved their business indicators, and more than a third did so precisely thanks to the implementation of solutions based on artificial intelligence. According to Chaslau Koniukh, automation of routine processes, processing of large volumes of data, generation of content, customer support via chatbots and personalized recommendations - all this is no longer futurism, but everyday life for thousands of companies, in particular in the financial, logistics and media sectors.

In the financial sector, Deloitte reports that the value of the generative AI market in Europe in 2024 reached $48 billion, and over 65 % of executives plan to further increase investments. And it’s not just about large banks or corporations: generative tools are increasingly being used by startups, which, thanks to cloud services, gain access to models that were previously the prerogative of technology giants. In 2025, many companies announced the implementation of AI solutions in internal processes - from recruiting and compliance to automated auditing. This is confirmed by the dynamics of requests from IT heads (CIOs): more and more of them plan to expand AI platforms specifically to support real-time decisions.

It is important that this process does not happen chaotically. Ekaterina Abramova, a digital strategy expert at the London Business School, emphasizes that the new regulatory framework, in particular the European AI Act, should not be perceived as a brake on innovation. “Rules of the game are necessary not only for safety. They create trust. If companies and consumers understand that algorithms undergo risk assessment, have an ethical framework and accountability, they are more willing to use them. This stimulates not containment, but scaling solutions,” she believes.

From the perspective of financial analytics, international expert Chaslau Koniukh comments on the situation. “We are seeing a fundamental shift in the business paradigm,” he notes. “AI is becoming not just an optimization tool, but a prerequisite for strategic competitiveness. Today’s business model is built around the ability to work with data, scale analytics, and personalize services — all of this is provided by artificial intelligence. Investors are increasingly evaluating companies not only by financial metrics, but also by the level of technological maturity, and the implementation of AI is a key indicator here.”

Against this backdrop, the demand for specialists is also growing. According to LinkedIn, in 2024-2025 , the number of AI-related vacancies in EU countries increased by more than 60 %, particularly in areas such as data ethics, machine learning, UX design for AI products, and legal expertise of algorithms. This shows that AI is no longer limited to a purely technical sphere — its integration requires a multidisciplinary approach.

"Europe is investing not only in infrastructure, but also in competencies. Retraining programs for small businesses, preferential loans for digital transformation, training AI navigators for the public sector - all this is forming a new ecosystem in which artificial intelligence becomes an organic part not of the future, but of the present , " emphasizes Chaslau Koniukh.

The challenge of regulation: balancing innovation and control. Chaslau Koniukh's perspective

According to Chaslau Koniukh, the challenges are growing along with the opportunities. The European Union, seeking to consolidate its position as a global leader in the field of digital ethics, is actively promoting the regulation of artificial intelligence. In 2025, the EU entered the finish line of the " AI Act " - the world's first comprehensive legislation designed to classify AI solutions by risk levels and establish mandatory standards for the most sensitive areas: health, education, justice, security. France, in turn, adopted the Paris Declaration on "inclusive and sustainable AI " , which emphasizes the need for transparent algorithms, non-discriminatory models and maintaining human control over autonomous systems.

But there is growing concern in the business community , says Chaslau Koniukh. CEOs of companies such as Airbus, Siemens and BNP Paribas have publicly expressed concern about excessive regulatory pressure. Their argument is that strict, detailed regulation could “stifle” innovation, forcing European businesses to lose out in the competitive race to the US and China, where rules are more flexible or non-existent. According to Koniukh, AI startups also express concerns: the costs of complying with the new regulations could be excessive for them.

In this situation, international think tanks are calling for a more flexible approach. Analysts from the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) recommend the creation of adaptive regulatory models — ones that take into account not only technological complexity, but also the scale of the company, the type of application and the social context. They propose to differentiate regulation according to the principle of a “risk-based approach”, while introducing a state support fund for the public sector, which will allow to accelerate the translation of academic research into applied solutions. A similar model has yielded positive results in Canada and the Netherlands, where AI experiments in public administration have received a boost thanks to pilot zones without excessive regulatory pressure.

"Regulation should not be reduced to bureaucratic pressure. It should become a safeguard against technological dictatorship, but at the same time not hinder growth. If we are talking about a sustainable economic future, then we must create an environment in which innovations are controlled, but not paralyzed. The main task of politicians is not to slow down progress, but to make it predictable and safe for society , " notes Chaslau Koniukh.

At the intersection of capital, technology and legislation, the AI revolution has already gained momentum. On the one hand, European states are investing in their own computing infrastructure, which guarantees autonomy and data security. On the other hand, businesses are rapidly implementing AI in daily operations: from risk management to personalization of customer experience. And finally, regulators are trying to protect the public interest without stifling innovation at the root.

"In this complex triangular system, balance may be crucial. If Europe can maintain pace, flexibility and strategic clarity, it will not only not fall behind - it will be able to set the tone for the global ethics of the digital age , " Chaslau Koniukh summarizes.