Berlin – September 10, 2026 -- Ninety-three percent of organizations worldwide now discuss digital sovereignty at board level, yet 59% consider full technological independence an unrealistic goal, according to a new Capgemini Research Institute report based on a survey of 1,300 business and technology executives conducted in April 2026.
The report, titled "Digital Sovereignty: From Policy Ambition to Executive Imperative," finds that two-thirds of organizations globally define digital sovereignty as "resilient interdependence" rather than complete self-sufficiency, favoring targeted control over critical technologies and strategic partnerships instead.
Supply chain concentration exposes 86% of organizations to foreign dependency risk
A companion Digital Sovereignty Index, analyzing 866 organizations across the US, Europe and APAC along five sovereignty dimensions, shows 86% face significant exposure to foreign or externally controlled supply chains. Vendor concentration, limited supply-chain transparency and long switching times compound the vulnerability. Only 42% of organizations that recently experienced operational disruptions have contingency plans in place; the US leads with nearly two-thirds prepared, compared with just over one-third in Europe and APAC.
Germany posts the highest dependency exposure among all countries surveyed
German firms show the sharpest risk profile in the study: 94% of organizations analyzed carry significant digital dependencies, the highest figure of any country covered. Despite this exposure, only 60% review dependency risks regularly, versus a 66% global average, and just 10% have fully mapped their dependencies, below the 14% global figure. In Germany, 57% link digital sovereignty primarily to sustaining critical business processes under geopolitical pressure, and 81% view geopolitical developments as a direct risk to operations.
44% of organizations rank digital sovereignty among top boardroom priorities
Nearly four in five organizations are already implementing or developing a digital sovereignty strategy, with another 20% planning to launch one within twelve months. More than three-quarters report high concern about sustaining critical business processes amid geopolitical uncertainty. Operational resilience is cited by 80% as the leading driver of sovereignty initiatives, while 75% identify artificial intelligence as a central focus area — a figure that rises to 82% in Germany, above the 75% global average. Aerospace & Defense and transport and logistics show particularly strong emphasis given their role in managing critical infrastructure.
German companies are also moving faster on governance: 53% are considering appointing a Chief Sovereignty Officer, compared with 40% globally, and 45% have already embedded digital sovereignty as a standing board agenda item, versus 36% worldwide.
Regional strategies diverge between compliance and resilience framing
In APAC, Continental Europe and the UK, digital sovereignty is framed mainly around risk minimization and resilience. In the US, 52% approach it primarily as a compliance issue, with 40% emphasizing resilience. Seventy-five percent of European organizations define sovereignty as resilient interdependence, compared with 50% in the US. Urs Krämer, Chief Sales Officer at Capgemini in Germany, said companies operate in highly interconnected technology ecosystems and that sovereignty requires understanding dependencies to regain control and flexibility rather than pursuing full autonomy.
Vendor lock-in and cost trade-offs slow execution
Only 14% of organizations have complete end-to-end visibility into their technology dependencies. Switching away from a critical vendor would take more than twelve months for 36% of organizations, and one in ten reports having no realistic alternative. Just under half of organizations are willing to pay a premium for greater digital sovereignty; among those willing, the average acceptable surcharge is 23%.