EU to Build Sovereign Defense Data-Sharing Platform by 2030
The European Union is working to develop a dedicated defense data-sharing platform, designed to allow its armed forces and defense institutions to exchange sensitive information securely without relying on U.S. infrastructure or commercial providers.
BRUSSELS — The European Union is advancing plans to create a dedicated defence data-sharing platform aimed at enabling secure exchange of sensitive military-level information across member states without reliance on non-EU technology providers. The initiative is part of wider efforts to strengthen European strategic autonomy in defence technology and information systems.
The project, overseen by the European Defence Agency (EDA), is officially referred to as the European Defence Artificial Intelligence Data Space (DAIDS). According to recently reviewed planning documents, DAIDS is envisioned as a federated, interoperable network that will allow armed forces and defence authorities of EU member states to share operational, logistical, and AI-relevant data securely over a common platform.
Strategic Purpose and Rationale
Currently, EU countries depend largely on externally sourced cloud and data transfer solutions — notably U.S. commercial infrastructure — for defence information exchange. This fragmented landscape has raised concerns within Brussels about dependency and potential vulnerabilities in sensitive military communications and analytics. The new platform is intended to unify data exchange under a sovereign European framework, supporting not only national defence authorities but also boosting interoperability for joint operations, planning, and exercises.
EDA documentation describes DAIDS as a backbone for secure bilateral and multilateral information sharing among participants, with inherent protections aligned to military classification requirements — a departure from current reliance on disparate national systems. The underlying architecture is expected to be compatible with future sovereign cloud infrastructure projects under discussion by EU member governments.
Implementation and Industrial Involvement
EDA has already contracted a consortium of primarily European companies to begin development planning, with the aim of aligning technical standards and creating a “data space” blueprint that can support both defence data management and AI-enhanced processing. This blueprint work reflects a broader trend to centralise secure data environments that can underpin emerging defence technologies such as AI-enabled decision support systems.
Officials envision DAIDS becoming embedded in routine defence operations and exercises by 2030, enabling participating nations to exchange secure data across borders without resorting to external technology providers. The project is also aligned with the EU’s Readiness 2030 defence strategy, which seeks to mobilise resources for collective capability development and reduce strategic dependencies.
