• A group of 15 major technology companies have formed the Trusted Tech Alliance
• The alliance members aims to offer a ‘trusted technology stack – from connectivity, cloud infrastructure, and semiconductors to software and AI’ that plays on the security concerns and sovereign requirements of governments and enterprises
• The three major US hyperscalers and some major AI players, as well as Ericsson, Jio Platforms, Nokia and NTT, are among the founding members
• They are seeking to capitalise on growing global political and trade tensions

Fifteen major technology companies used the platform of last week’s Munich Security Conference to unveil a new global alliance, the Trusted Tech Alliance (TTA), which aims to offer a “trusted technology stack – from connectivity, cloud infrastructure, and semiconductors to software and AI” to the world’s government bodies and enterprises. 

The group is appealing to the needs of governments and enterprises around the world that need to address a growing list of security concerns as well as develop sovereign digital services strategies – indeed, the press release announcing the alliance mentions security 15 times and sovereignty six times. 

“TTA members are committing to work with governments and customers to ensure that the benefits of emerging technologies can accrue to broader public trust while driving job creation and economic growth,” the founders noted. “The Alliance brings together leading companies committed to a shared set of clear, verifiable practices and principles that manifest how technology can be secure, reliable and responsibly operated, regardless of where it is built or deployed,” they added.

The alliance aims to define the “attributes for trusted technology and a set of operating principles to which signatories will adhere,” which is going to be an interesting task in itself. 

As a starting point, the members have “agreed to five specific principles that define what it means to develop, deploy, operate and cooperate as a trusted global technology provider” – namely:

• Transparent Corporate Governance and Ethical Conduct
• Operational Transparency, Secure Development, and Independent Assessment
• Robust Supply Chain and Security Oversight
• Open, Cooperative, Inclusive, and Resilient Digital Ecosystem
• Respect for the Rule of Law and Data Protection

“These commitments require companies to have strong corporate governance and ethical conduct, build technology securely and manage it responsibly throughout its lifecycle, and use contractually binding security and quality assurances with suppliers. They will hold their suppliers to strong global security standards and support a digital environment that is open, cooperative, and encourages innovation,” the members added. 

As some of the members already know, enforcing ethical conduct across large companies can be a tough thing to do.

You can find out more about the aspirations of the alliance in this announcement.  

The elephant in the room here, of course, is China, a country increasingly associated with cybersecurity threats and ‘high-risk suppliers’ – it seems obvious that the underlying message of this alliance is that governments and companies should not source technology and associated professional services from suppliers that come from high-risk markets and can turn to this group of companies to deliver peace of mind as well as cutting-edge tech. 

And it’s noticeable that this alliance has been formed only weeks after the European Union members unveiled an updated Cybersecurity Act that included a crack down on “high-risk third-country suppliers” – see EC to crack down on ‘high-risk suppliers’.

At the end of the day, the alliance members are on board because they see an opportunity to grow their businesses as a result of new global tensions and an increasing focus on security and sovereignty that will surely influence many purchasing decisions – this isn’t a charitable gesture on behalf of the founding members. 

So, as you’d expect, none of the 15 founding members come from China (or, indeed, Russia, Iran or North Korea). Those founding members are:  

Anthropic – US-based AI developer

Amazon Web Services (AWS) - US-based hyperscaler

Cassava Technologies – Pan-African provider of connectivity, cloud and tech infrastructure services

Cohere – Canada-based AI developer 

Ericsson – Swedish telecom vendor

Google Cloud – US-based hyperscaler

Hanwha – South Korea-based conglomerate (aerospace, energy ect)

Jio Platforms – India-based AI and networking tech developer that is part of Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL)   

Microsoft – US-based AI, tech and cloud giant

Nokia – Finland-based telecom vendor

Nscale – UK-headquartered AI infrastructure company 

NTT – Japan-based telecom and tech company

Rapidus – Japan-based semiconductor manufacturer 

Saab – Sweden-based aerospace and defence company

SAP – Germany-based software company

Nearly all of the founding members had something to say about the alliance – here’s a selection of those most closely aligned with the telecom sector:

Börje Ekholm, President and CEO of Ericsson: "No single company or a country can build a secure and trusted digital stack alone. Rather, trust and security can only be achieved together. That's why, together with like-minded industry peers, we have launched the Trusted Tech Alliance - an initiative committed to verifiable trust practices across the digital stack."

Kiran Thomas, CEO, Jio Platforms: "Trusted, secure, and transparent technology is essential to unlocking inclusive digital growth at global scale. Jio Platforms is proud to join the Trusted Tech Alliance to advance common standards and verifiable practices across the technology stack. Through collaboration with global partners, we aim to strengthen resilience, expand digital opportunity, and build long-term confidence in next-generation connectivity, cloud, and AI systems.” 

Justin Hotard, President and CEO of Nokia: "AI is accelerating change across the technology stack and raising the bar for trust. Networks and critical infrastructure must be secure, resilient, and interoperable by design. We're joining with industry partners through the Trusted Tech Alliance to reinforce that foundation as intelligence scales globally."

Jun Sawada, Executive Chairman of NTT: "No matter how superior a technology such as AI and cybersecurity on the connected network may be, diverse discourse is essential for its societal acceptance. It is of utmost importance that trusted enterprises sharing common values and moral principles work in close coordination to advance their initiatives."

Additional alliance members are being sought. “The TTA will continue to grow its community of global providers dedicated to advancing a trusted, interoperable, and open technology stack and shaping shared approaches that support national and international efforts to strengthen sovereignty, resilience, and competitiveness,” the founding members stated. 

- Ray Le Maistre, Editorial Director, TelecomTV