23/09/2025
“We believe it is time for Europe to move beyond observing foreign tech giants, and focus on how we can create our own sovereign champions. Because building European GAFAMs is not about copying Silicon Valley. It is about ensuring that Europe can defend its values, secure its infrastructure, and control its destiny in a world of rapid technological change. The decisions we take today will shape Europe’s future tomorrow,” says Arnaud Castaignet.
For decades, global technology leadership has been shaped elsewhere, first by the U.S., where digital giants set the rules of the game, and more recently by China. In Europe we have incredible research, world-class engineers, and innovative scale-ups, but too often, our technologies don’t scale into global platforms or strategic industrial players. We end up becoming customers of foreign tech rather than creators of our own. This isn’t just about digital sovereignty. It’s about sovereignty in the broadest sense.
When we talk about independence, the conversation shouldn’t stop at AI. Europe’s ability to stand on its own feet also hinges on energy, infrastructure, raw materials, and the mission-critical systems that underlie modern life. Energy storage is one of the most strategic of these systems.
Europe is accelerating its renewable rollout. Solar and wind are growing fast. But without stable, reliable, high-power storage and rapid response technologies, our grids risk becoming fragile. Dependence on outdated solutions or foreign providers exposes us to both geopolitical shocks and supply chain disruptions.
At Skeleton, our work directly addresses this challenge. We deliver Mission-Critical Power, energy storage solutions designed not for convenience, but for resilience and security. This is not just about energy efficiency or engineering progress. It’s about building the backbone of Europe’s technological sovereignty.
For now, Europe stands at a crossroads. One path means remaining dependent on external “GAFAMs” and foreign providers for cloud, data, storage, and critical technologies, outsourcing not just services, but sovereignty. The other path means building our own champions, sovereign, resilient, and aligned with our values of privacy, sustainability, and security.
The choice is ours, and it requires decisive action through ambitious policies, strategic investment, and strong alignment between regulation, industry, and research.
Above all, a recognition that sovereignty is not an abstract concept, it is built through concrete technologies like energy storage, that keep our societies running. At Skeleton, we are proud to contribute to this mission. For us, energy storage is not just a business opportunity. It is a strategic responsibility, a way to ensure that Europe’s transition to a renewable future is not only green, but secure and independent.
I am honored to be speaking on this urgent topic at La Mêlée 2025 in Toulouse on September 24th.
