EU to unveil plan to cut reliance on US and Asian tech

WASHINGTON, United States — BRUSSELS — The European Union will on Wednesday unveil a plan aimed at reducing its reliance on American and Asian technology, with EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen set to present the package in Brussels. The proposed rules will cover chips, cloud computing and artificial intelligence, according to the announcement. A draft strategy paper says the bloc depends on foreign suppliers for more than 80% of its digital products, services, infrastructure and intellectual property. The EU said the plan is not designed to exclude foreign companies, but to strengthen European industry and keep the bloc competitive in the artificial intelligence race. The move could add to tensions with Washington, which has opposed recent penalties and rules targeting U.S. technology companies in Europe.