First “Digital Sovereignty Index” from adesso shows: four out of five companies do not have a strategy

Digital sovereignty is emerging as a success factor for the German economy – but few companies have a strategy for it in place. This is the conclusion drawn by the first “Digital Sovereignty Index” – compiled by adesso together with the Handelsblatt Research Institute. The cross-industry survey of around 500 companies and public sector organisations reveals that while the German economy may believe that it is well-equipped for the topic of digital sovereignty, it is still largely dependent on digital solutions from non-European providers.

According to the study, although 92 percent of respondents consider digital sovereignty to be important, they appear to be merely paying lip service to the topic: only 21 percent of the companies surveyed have already developed a dedicated strategy for their digital sovereignty. Responsibility for the topic lies with the Executive Board in only in 25 percent of the companies surveyed. And only 13 percent have integrated digital sovereignty into their corporate strategy. 46 percent of companies leave this topic to their IT department, with the vast majority concentrating exclusively on the aspects: cloud (72 percent) and security (91 percent). Aspects such as legal and regulation, training and skills development, as well as purchasing or supply chain management – all equally affected by digital sovereignty – are often overlooked.

Level of maturity at just under 66 percent – small companies in the lead

These are the findings of the first Digital Sovereignty Index (Index Digitale Souveränitaet, IDS) conducted by adesso, Germany’s largest IT service provider, and the Handelsblatt Research Institute. Based on a Germany-wide, cross-industry survey covering almost 500 companies with more than 250 employees and public sector organisations, the index determines the current level of maturity in terms of digital sovereignty. This is made up of an assessment covering the six aspects: hardware, software, cyber security, data management, cloud and artificial intelligence.

According to the index, the average maturity level of the German economy across all organisational forms and sizes is 65.8 percent. At 67 percent, companies score slightly better overall than public administration at 64 percent. And smaller companies (fewer than 2,500 employees), at 68.9 percent, again performed better than large companies (more than 2,500 employees) at 64.2 percent. Complete sovereignty is achieved at a value of 100 percent.

High level of dependence on non-European suppliers

The index shows that the companies and organisations surveyed are heavily dependent on non-European providers, particularly when it comes to key technologies such as cloud, software and artificial intelligence. More than 60 percent of companies admit that they are dependent on solutions from abroad. And in the area of artificial intelligence, 63 percent only rate their level of digital sovereignty as “sufficient”.

Implementation is stalling – but there is a willingness to invest

Up to now, a lack of expertise, a shortage of skilled workers and high costs have slowed down the expansion of digital sovereignty in many places. However, the seriousness of the situation seems to have been recognised – because the willingness to invest in digital sovereignty in the future is high: 80 percent of companies would be prepared to pay a premium for sovereign solutions, on average 17 percent. For larger companies, this figure is just under 30 percent.

  adesso CEO Mark Lohweber: “Companies are failing to capitalise on growth potential”  

“Our Digital Sovereignty Index reveals for the first time the extent to which the vast majority of German businesses are underestimating the strategic relevance of digital sovereignty,” says Mark Lohweber, CEO of adesso SE. “It helps companies to achieve greater freedom of action, innovation and therefore competitiveness. These important levers for growth and value creation remain largely untapped.”

Wanted: optimum balance instead of complete self-sufficiency

The degree of digital independence that makes sense for a company depends on the area of application and the sensitivity of data. According to the survey, companies and the public sector are therefore not aiming for complete self-sufficiency, but an average degree of sovereignty of 77.8 percent.

“In a globally networked economy and politics, digital sovereignty does not mean isolation, but self-determination, partnership and resilience,” emphasises Lohweber. “It is important to find the right path to customised digital sovereignty – with the optimum balance between independence and competitiveness.”

“In a globally networked economy and politics, digital sovereignty does not mean isolation, but self-determination, partnership and resilience. It is important to find the right path to customised digital sovereignty – with the optimum balance between independence and competitiveness.” – Mark Lohweber, CEO, adesso SE. (Source: adesso)

The Digital Sovereignty Index by adesso and the Handelsblatt Research Institute can be downloaded here: www.adesso.de/de/impulse/digitale-souveraenitaet/souveraenitaetsindex/index.jsp

To the index

The survey data is based on online interviews with members of the YouGov panel who agreed to participate in advance. For this survey, a total of 491 people (n=223 people with decision-making authority from companies with at least n=250 employees from the private sector, n=268 from the public sector) were interviewed between 4 and 15 August 2025.

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