Alibaba Chairman Tsai Urges Europe to Expand Sovereign AI Infrastructure

Alibaba Group Co-Founder and Chairman Joe Tsai urged Europe to expand computing infrastructure under European control and adopt open or open-weight artificial intelligence models to reduce reliance on technology controlled by the United States and China.

Tsai made the remarks at the Wave by Vento conference in Turin, Italy, on Oct. 7. The event runs through Oct. 9.

He called for Europe to increase data-center capacity so companies and institutions can train and operate AI systems on infrastructure located within the region. The approach would give European users greater control over the systems and computing resources supporting AI development.

Tsai also pointed to industrial data from factories and logistics networks as a potential foundation for models tailored to European businesses. Open or open-weight models can be adapted and deployed by outside developers, allowing organizations to modify systems for specific uses.

The European Commission has identified limited computing capacity and the concentration of frontier-AI development outside the European Union as strategic weaknesses. It has called for greater European computing and AI capabilities to support economic and security independence.

The remarks did not include a specific investment, partnership or policy proposal for Europe. Wave by Vento continues in Turin through Oct. 9.