Microsoft, Ericsson lead global tech alliance for digital trust

By Supantha Mukherjee

STOCKHOLM, Feb 13 - A group of 15 companies, led by Microsoft MSFT.O and Ericsson ERICb.ST, launched on Friday the “Trusted Tech Alliance,” built around five principles to safely use technology regardless of where it is developed.

The initiative is the first concerted move by a group of global companies to address concerns about where data is stored as the increasingly isolationist United States, under U.S. President Donald Trump, has sharpened Europe's and Asia's focus on "digital sovereignty".

Governments have considered new regulations and domestic investment strategies to reduce digital dependence on the United States and other foreign suppliers.

"This is a period of time when many governments and countries are feeling pressure to create stronger technology borders, to focus more on their own digital sovereignty," Microsoft President Brad Smith told Reuters in an interview.

"Our companies are working together to set this high standard to really make clear what the definition of trust is," he said.

ERICSSON SAYS NO COUNTRY ALONE CAN BE FULLY SOVEREIGN

The alliance includes companies such as Anthropic, Amazon Web Services, Alphabet's GOOGL.O Google, India's Reliance Jio Platforms, Finland's Nokia NOKIA.HE, Canada’s Cohere, Japan’s NTT 9432.T, and Germany's SAP SAPG.DE.

Its five principles call for strong corporate governance, ethical conduct, secure technology development, adherence to global security standards across supply chains, and support for an open digital environment.

Ericsson and Microsoft started discussing the formation of the alliance in the middle of last year.

“What does the word sovereignty mean? If you label it... it can actually be a trade barrier,” Ericsson CEO Börje Ekholm told Reuters. “There are no countries on this planet that alone can be fully sovereign.”

Companies joining the alliance will self-attest to adhering to the principles, Smith said, adding that the principles also include provisions for independent assessments.

Alliance members operate across connectivity, cloud infrastructure, semiconductors, software, and artificial intelligence.

“We will know we are successful if the current trend of countries pulling apart on technology issues finds a counterweight in what we’re doing,” Smith said.