AI & Technology — 2026-04-11

France Orders Government Ministries to Replace Windows with Linux in Digital Sovereignty Push

France's Interministerial Digital Directorate ordered all government ministries to formalize plans to eliminate non-EU digital dependencies by autumn 2026, starting with migrating from Windows to Linux. The directive covers operating systems, collaboration tools, cloud infrastructure, and AI platforms. Minister Anne Le Henanff called digital sovereignty a strategic necessity. This follows France's January mandate to replace Teams and Zoom with domestic Visio platform across 2.5 million civil servants by 2027. Defense and healthcare exceptions were acknowledged for Windows-dependent specialist software.

Analysis
The directive covering AI platforms means European governments are beginning to treat American AI as a strategic dependency equivalent to defense systems. Amid transatlantic strain over the Iran war, this is the most comprehensive digital sovereignty measure a major European power has announced, and other EU states will face pressure to follow.

2 sources

France to ditch Windows for Linux to reduce reliance on US tech - TechCrunch
France Ditches Windows for Linux to Reclaim Digital Sovereignty - Prism News