Guest: Gabriele Columbro (LinkedIn)
Organization: Linux Foundation Europe
Show: The Source
Topic: Open Source

As artificial intelligence reshapes the global tech landscape, Europe faces an urgent question: how can it stay competitive against the massive R&D power of U.S. and Chinese hyperscalers? For Gabriele Columbro, General Manager of Linux Foundation Europe, the answer is clear — open source.

“Frankly, open source is the only way Europe can gain competitiveness in AI and technology,” Columbro says. The continent, he argues, can’t match the capital intensity of Silicon Valley or Shenzhen, but it can compete through collaboration, shared infrastructure, and what he calls “sweat equity” — contributing directly to open ecosystems to build both technical and geopolitical strength.

Columbro explains that true competitiveness doesn’t come from reinventing the wheel. “Buy European, yes — but make sure that European software is open,” he emphasizes. Building entirely proprietary solutions, he warns, will only slow Europe down in areas where speed, openness, and interoperability matter most. Instead, the continent should invest in open infrastructure and local companies that build value on top of global open source projects.

The recent shift in the AI industry supports his view. “A year ago, large language models (LLMs) were seen as the main differentiator,” Columbro notes. “But now, they’ve been commoditized.” He references the “DeepSeek moment,” where open-sourced models proved that innovation could outpace capital-heavy development. Even companies like OpenAI, he adds, are opening parts of their models and APIs.

As LLMs become ubiquitous, Columbro believes the next frontier of competition will be AI agents — autonomous, task-oriented systems built on top of these models. And in this new layer of innovation, open source will once again play a central role. “Open source brings back competitiveness,” he says. “It’s about ingenuity and creativity, not just hardware or investment.”

Beyond AI, Columbro points to cybersecurity and cloud as additional areas where Europe can lead through open collaboration. Open source not only reduces vendor dependency but also accelerates standards development, interoperability, and transparency — all vital for digital sovereignty.

The challenge, he admits, is not technological but cultural and structural. Europe must double down on funding, policy support, and participation in global open source projects to ensure it has both a voice and a stake in the technologies shaping the future.

Ultimately, Columbro’s message is optimistic. Europe doesn’t need to dominate through size — it can lead through openness. By investing in shared innovation, contributing to global ecosystems, and supporting local commercialization, Europe can secure its place in the AI and digital future.