From compliance to control: mastering AI and data sovereignty

Times

6 hours ago

With top-tier infrastructure and strong policies ready, UK businesses must fast-track sovereign AI and data strategies to secure control, fuel innovation and stay competitive on the world stage
The global economy is entering an unprecedented phase of transformation, driven by the rapid rise of data and artificial intelligence.
According to a report by Forrester, by 2028 the global digital economy will reach a staggering $16.5tn (£12.2tn), making it the third-largest economy on the planet, behind only the US and China.
Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecasts that AI alone will drive 7% of global GDP growth over the next five years, more than double the expected growth rate of 3.4% for the broader economy. This shift is a fundamental reordering of economic priorities and competitive advantage.
The critical question for every organisation is clear: where will your growth come from in this new data-driven world?
'Data and AI are no longer optional tools or experimental technology, they have become the cornerstone of economic growth and the decisive edge in global competition', says Kevin Dallas, CEO of EDB, a leading enterprise data and AI platform provider.
Despite this urgency, EDB's global research, involving over 2,000 executives across North America, EMEA and APJ, reveals that only 23% of enterprises are actively building their own sovereign AI and data platforms.
These pioneers are pulling ahead — investing in sovereignty, observability and AI readiness to build platforms for autonomous, real-time decision-making.
At the heart of this movement is sovereignty: the ability to exercise full control over AI and data assets without sacrificing agility or compliance. It's a comprehensive approach that covers access, visibility and the ability to use AI and data when needed most.
'Data and AI sovereignty isn't about hiding behind a firewall or retreating from global collaboration,' Dallas explains.
'It's about freedom — the freedom to choose your AI models, to keep data compliant with evolving regulations and to deploy capabilities across clouds, borders and teams without compromise.'
According to EDB's research, 97% of enterprise leaders see becoming their own AI and data platform as mission-critical, yet only 63% understand that sovereignty is essential to achieve it.
Without it, organisations risk agility without control, leading to fragmentation and lost opportunities.
'Building an AI and data platform isn't simply about technology procurement, it means bringing every tool, model and dataset into one secure, extensible environment where they can operate seamlessly together,' Dallas points out.
The foundational technology enabling this is evolving. Solutions like Postgres offer a single architecture capable of handling structured and unstructured data, supporting transactional, analytical and AI workloads alike. This versatility is essential as enterprises move from experimentation to scaling production AI.
Those already leading the way have begun building what Dallas calls 'agentic AI factories.' These are internal AI ecosystems designed to deliver hyper-personalised services and autonomous outcomes across multiple business domains.
According to EDB's research, the 13% of organisations investing heavily in such systems report nearly three times the expected ROI compared to peers.
In highly regulated industries — financial services, healthcare, defence and public sector — the pressure to scale agentic AI securely is intense.
'A sovereign platform that is hybrid by design makes this possible. It gives organisations the flexibility to run AI where their data resides — be it on-premises, across multiple clouds, or at the edge — while maintaining full observability and control over the entire data estate,' says Dallas.
This approach safeguards sensitive information and ensures regulatory compliance without stifling innovation.
Currently, just under one in four enterprises globally understand this urgency. But projections show that, within three years, half of all organisations will recognise sovereignty and AI readiness as mission-critical. This is a short window — one that demands swift strategic action.
Success will require hybrid deployments that tightly couple data and AI, ensuring both are secure in motion and at rest.
AI systems must be flexible, safe and production-ready. And, importantly, the underlying platforms must be open and extensible — not confined by proprietary technologies or legacy constraints.
'This is about more than competitive advantage,' Dallas stresses. 'It's about national and economic resilience. The UK has the talent, infrastructure and policy momentum. What it needs now is the commercial will to turn that potential into real platforms and capabilities.'
For UK businesses, the risks of delay are clear. Falling behind in sovereignty and AI readiness threatens exclusion from emerging value chains, regulatory fines and a loss of customer trust.
As sovereignty becomes a key differentiator, companies relying heavily on third-party platforms could risk reputational damage and diminished investor confidence.
The UK's National AI Strategy has laid important groundwork — committing to secure, explainable and trustworthy AI ecosystems. Investments in computing infrastructure, including the AI Research Resource and Isambard-AI supercomputer, are among Europe's most significant. But government efforts can only pave the way; enterprises must take the wheel.
'Government can build the roads, but businesses have to drive the cars,' Dallas remarks. 'That means embedding sovereign AI and data governance into your core digital strategy, investing in talent and committing to platform ownership from day one.'
Deploying AI responsibly is not simply about capability but accountability. Sovereign AI ensures compliance, aligns with business goals and allows organisations to innovate with confidence and transparency.
Ultimately, sovereignty is not about isolation. It can enable global interoperability, adaptability and resilience, equipping organisations to compete confidently in a complex, evolving regulatory landscape. From GDPR in Europe to data localisation in Asia and cloud compliance in the US, the ability to adjust systems dynamically is critical.
'Flexibility built on control is the new foundation,' Dallas concludes. 'With the right platform architecture, organisations don't have to choose between openness and control — they can have both.'
The competition for influence in the global AI economy is intensifying. Sovereign readiness will determine who captures the most value as digital transformation accelerates.
'There is a narrow window for the UK to assert itself,' Dallas warns. 'Every day counts. Those who transform intent into execution today will lead the next thirty years of growth.'
The question now is whether UK enterprises are ready to make data and AI sovereignty their strategy before the window closes.
To learn more, please visit enterprisedb.com