PARIS — France’s domestic intelligence agency, the DGSI, is ending its long-standing relationship with the American data analytics company Palantir Technologies and switching to a French alternative, in a significant step toward greater European digital sovereignty.

Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced the decision, stating that the agency will award the contract to Chaps Vision, a French company founded in 2019. The DGSI had used Palantir’s Gotham platform for nearly a decade to analyze surveillance footage, case files, communications intercepts and other sensitive data.

The move reflects growing European concern over strategic dependencies on American technology, particularly in the most sensitive areas of national security.

“We cannot accept new strategic dependencies in the digital sphere,” Lecornu said. “France must build real autonomy and not depend on the goodwill of partners who are capable of turning off the access tap.”

The decision comes shortly after Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, the BfV, also chose Chaps Vision over Palantir. Two of Europe’s largest intelligence services have now rejected the U.S. company in favor of the same French provider.

The timing appears linked to recent U.S. actions. Last week, the American government ordered Anthropic, the company behind the Claude AI models, to suspend access to its most advanced systems for foreign users, citing national security concerns. European institutions suddenly lost access to tools they had been relying on.

Although Chaps Vision had already secured an initial contract with the DGSI in 2024, the Anthropic incident provided a clear, real-world example of the risks of foreign dependency that Lecornu highlighted.

Chaps Vision’s Argon OS platform was designed specifically for European government needs, with sovereign data hosting, full compliance with European privacy laws, and no exposure to U.S. regulations such as the Cloud Act.

The company, which reported around €200 million in annual revenue last year, is significantly smaller than Palantir. Yet it has quickly positioned itself as a trusted European alternative for sensitive intelligence work.

Palantir responded by stating that its existing contract with the DGSI remains in force and that it will continue to support the French government. However, officials confirmed the contract will not be renewed once it expires. The current agreement will run its course only to avoid operational gaps during the transition.

France is also investing €655 million in new public funding to develop domestic AI capabilities across government agencies, a direct response to recent disruptions and long-term strategic vulnerabilities.

This shift fits into a broader European pattern. Germany has rejected Palantir for military cloud projects, France is migrating government systems from Windows to Linux, the European Parliament replaced Google with Qwant, and the Netherlands blocked a U.S. takeover of its digital identity system.

Analysts see the intelligence sector moves as particularly significant. If spy agencies — the institutions handling the most classified data — are moving away from American platforms, other government departments are likely to follow.

Palantir CEO Alex Karp recently published a manifesto emphasizing American technological supremacy and the company’s role in supporting U.S. military operations. European officials reportedly viewed the document as further evidence that relying on the company for core national security functions carried unacceptable risks.

The French decision underscores a growing transatlantic divergence in technology policy. While commercial ties remain strong, European governments are increasingly unwilling to accept potential leverage or sudden access restrictions in critical areas.

Chaps Vision is now in discussions with additional European intelligence services. Analysts predict that at least two more countries will announce similar switches before the end of 2026.

For France and its European partners, the message is clear: in an era of heightened geopolitical competition, strategic autonomy in digital infrastructure is no longer optional — it is a national security imperative.

The transition will take time and careful management, but the direction is set. Europe is steadily building its own technological capabilities, even in the most sensitive domains.