The Netherlands has a strong digital infrastructure, but what we have today will not be sufficient in five years. That warning came from former ASML CEO Peter Wennink at an event on digital resilience. According to him, digital security is rapidly becoming one of the fundamental pillars of modern society.
Technology is evolving at such a rapid pace, Wennink argued, that the country must invest in the underlying conditions needed to keep its digital infrastructure robust. He called for a broader, more forward‑looking approach to ensure long‑term resilience.
KPN CEO Joost Farwerck echoed that message. While the Netherlands has a powerful network, he said, the “platform layer”, which includes data centres and cloud services, is lagging. Yet this layer is “a crucial part of the digital infrastructure”. Farwerck noted that many telecom companies underestimated their importance, allowing the United States and major tech companies to pull far ahead.
“Everything is currently in American clouds. A major opportunity is emerging for Europe to deliver more sovereign clouds through collaborations”, Farwerck said. KPN is already working with French technology group Thales on a sovereign cloud for the Dutch Ministry of Defence, following their selection last June.
Farwerck believes similar collaborations could strengthen Europe’s digital autonomy, but he stressed that the Dutch government must also change its approach. Tendering processes often prioritise the lowest price, he said, which means contracts “ultimately always end up with a foreign party”. Sovereignty, he argued, should become a factor in public procurement.
@anp | NEWSBRAINPORT
