Geopolitics Accelerates Emerging Technology Investment In Europe
Contrary to continued popular misconception, this isn't a story about European firms lagging behind in technology adoption or a lack of innovative startups. For example, when we look back at AI adoption rates across Europe in 2020, the European rates weren't that different from what we were seeing elsewhere; most of the software, however, was procured from non-European companies, mostly US-based providers. As for Europe's emerging tech startups, the best tended to be snapped up by US firms (e.g., DeepMind, acquired by Google) or chose to move their headquarters to the US in order to grow (e.g., Spotify).
While all of this is still the case today, recent geopolitical developments have resulted in a concerted drive toward reducing that dependency. EU initiatives include the AI continent action plan, the aim of which is for the EU to become 'a global leader in artificial intelligence' and a leading AI continent. Less than a month after the AI plan launch, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in early May announced the no less ambitious Choose Europe for Science drive, which seeks to attract international research talent to the EU with grants and reduced bureaucracy. The UK, ranked fifth in the 2024 Government AI Readiness Index and first in Western Europe, has laid out its own AI Opportunities Action Plan, even though it's not clear yet how much government funding will be available.
So with all of this in mind, let's look at a few of the emerging technologies from our top 10 list through a European lens:
Learn more about Forrester's top 10 emerging technologies for 2025 here.
This post was written by VP, Principal Analyst Martha Bennet and VP, Principal Analyst Paul Miller, the blog originally featured here.
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