Nations must spend 1% of GDP on AI infrastructure - Gartner

"Countries intent on digital sovereignty will need to invest at least 1 percent of their entire gross domestic product (GDP) into AI infrastructure by 2029, according to analyst biz Gartner. The consultant claims digital sovereignty will lead to countries being locked into region-specific AI platforms based on proprietary contextual data. This means their domestic AI stacks may be bespoke, with reduced collaboration and duplication of effort driving up the cost."

"Gartner reckons 35 percent of countries will be locked into region-specific systems by next year. Localized models deliver more contextual value, outperforming non-customized global models in applications such as education, legal compliance, and public services, Gartner says, especially in non-English languages. Concerns over digital or data sovereignty have been around for years with the growing dominance of US tech giants. But these were turbocharged last year following the inauguration of President Trump, whose behavior has at times been erratic and his policies often punitive."

Countries pursuing digital sovereignty will need substantial investment in AI infrastructure, estimated at a minimum of 1% of GDP by 2029. National strategies favor domestic AI stacks tailored to local laws, culture and languages, increasing bespoke systems and reducing cross-border collaboration. Gartner forecasts that 35 percent of countries will be locked into region-specific AI platforms by next year. Localized models deliver stronger contextual value in areas such as education, legal compliance and public services, particularly in non-English languages. Dependence on US cloud infrastructure motivates investments in datacenters, computing power and AI factory infrastructure to achieve autonomy.

Read at Theregister