Infrastructure investment continues to reshape global technology priorities, even as questions around regulation, sovereignty, and supply chain resilience intensify. In this edition, we look at how emerging EU cloud rules and long-term sovereignty ambitions are influencing the vendor landscape, why DevOps maturity is becoming a key enabler of successful AI initiatives, and what rising semiconductor costs could mean for the broader ecosystem.

New European cloud rules - Recently proposed EU regulations could restrict major US tech providers from participating in critical public tenders, reshaping the region’s infrastructure landscape.

DevOps maturity drives AI success - Perforce’s 2026 State of DevOps Report suggests that organisations with established DevOps practices are better equipped to deliver successful AI initiatives that bring real business value.

EU’s long road to tech independence - Despite ambitious sovereignty plans, experts argue that the EU remains years away from reducing its dependence on US technology.

Scaling engineering without hiring sprees - This article explores how amending software engineering organisation structures can help companies grow development capacity without relying on lengthy recruitment cycles.

Rethinking technical leadership - A seasoned engineering leader makes the case that traditional leadership models can unintentionally create bottlenecks, prompting a fresh look at how influence and decision-making should work in modern teams.

AI infrastructure is driving a new spending cycle

According to Gartner, global tech spending is set to reach $6.15 trillion in 2026, as organisations and cloud providers continue pouring money into AI infrastructure. Data centres and AI-optimised servers are seeing the fastest growth, while software investment also remains strong thanks to generative AI adoption. The message for technology leaders is becoming increasingly clear: despite concerns about an AI bubble, investment priorities are shifting toward the infrastructure needed to support it at scale.

The world’s largest chipmaker signals potential price rises

The world’s largest chipmaker, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), says rising inflation is increasing the cost of producing advanced semiconductors and has not ruled out passing some of those costs on through higher prices. While the company rejected the idea of dramatic increases, executives acknowledged sustained cost pressure even as demand for AI chips continues to grow. Because TSMC sits at the centre of global supply, any pricing shifts could ripple through the entire tech ecosystem, from data centers to consumer devices.

Quantum resilience is moving from theory to planning

As advances in quantum computing threaten today's encryption methods, organisations are being encouraged to start preparing authentication systems for the post-quantum era. Experts recommend a phased approach, combining quantum-resistant algorithms with existing security frameworks to minimise turmoil and maintain trust. Rather than waiting for quantum computers to become commercially disruptive, businesses are increasingly treating quantum resilience as a long-term cybersecurity priority and incorporating it into their identity and access management strategies.

How to keep skills and ways of working relevant: A sustainable talent path

We hosted a roundtable for a small group of our clients to discuss the topic: “How successful organisations have kept their skills and ways of working relevant”. The discussion quickly went into thinking about career growth, internal promotion vs external hiring, employee upskilling and performance management as well as company culture.