The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) Technical Committee has now officially published its Position Statement calling for sovereign, interoperable, resilient and sustainable cloud and AI infrastructure to support public service media across Europe.
Background and Context
At the EBU’s Technology & Innovation Summit and Technical Assembly, held in Dublin on 5–6 June 2025, a dedicated session and panel discussion explored the need for Europe based media infrastructure (tech.ebu.ch). Representatives – including CTOs from Swedish Television, France Télévisions, SWR/ARD and the EBU, as well as a speaker from European hyperscaler StackIT – addressed how public service media organisations are already seeking to deploy complementary data centres under their own control. Such investments respond to concerns around operational security, regulatory clarity, and geopolitical risk.
Key calls in the statement
The published position statement sets out several core priorities for future infrastructure development. It calls for the creation of cloud and AI systems that are developed under European governance and control, ensuring that they remain open, sustainable, and aligned with the public interest. Interoperability and resilience are emphasised as essential qualities, enabling cloud and AI services to be scaled and adapted for a broad range of public service media needs.
The statement also encourages collaboration among key stakeholders, including infrastructure operators, cloud and AI service providers, academic institutions, regulators, and public media organisations. This joint approach is seen as essential for designing platforms that reflect public service values and comply with European legal and ethical standards.
Furthermore, the statement highlights the importance of supporting AI-driven innovation in media production, distribution, and audience engagement. It also underscores the necessity of ensuring integration with external platforms while safeguarding editorial independence and data integrity.
To translate these priorities into action, the EBU’s Cloud Strategy working group will take the lead in coordinating follow-up activities, including pilot projects and engagements with EU programmes and standardisation bodies.
What has changed
Previously, the detailed call had been shared with the EBU community and its governance committees. The document is now available to the wider public and external collaborators as a basis for coordinated action.
By inviting a broad stakeholder community to participate in the development of open, secure and EU compliant infrastructure, the EBU aims to ensure that future cloud and AI ecosystems can uphold public values, privacy, and editorial independence. Its approach aligns with broader European policy ambitions around digital sovereignty and media resilience.