Approximately 35% of countries worldwide will shift their AI platform strategies to "sovereign AI" systems by next year, up from the current 5%, according to a new report from global research firm Gartner.
Gartner released its "2026 Sovereign AI Outlook Report" on Monday, highlighting the growing importance of AI sovereignty. Sovereign AI refers to a nation's or organization's capability to independently control the development, deployment, and operation of artificial intelligence.
The report projects a seven-fold increase in countries using AI platforms tailored to their specific national circumstances by 2027.
"Countries that prioritize digital sovereignty are seeking alternatives to closed, U.S.-centric AI models," said Gaurav Gupta, an analyst who authored the report. "They are expanding investments in domestic sovereign AI that encompasses computing power, data centers, cloud infrastructure, and AI models."
The analysis suggests that intensifying regulations, geopolitical risks, and national security concerns are driving both governments and enterprises to make AI self-reliance a core strategy.
"The criteria for choosing AI platforms are also changing," Gupta added. "Decision-makers are prioritizing AI platforms that align with their country's laws, regulations, culture, and user expectations over global models with vast training data."
According to the report, locally-based AI models are outperforming global general-purpose models in non-English-speaking environments, particularly in education, legal and regulatory affairs, and public services.
Gartner also projected that countries pursuing sovereign AI development will need to invest at least 1% of their gross domestic product in AI infrastructure by 2029. "Data centers and AI factory infrastructure are the core foundation of sovereign AI," Gupta said. "Once investment in this area accelerates, a small number of companies that dominate the sovereign AI stack could achieve enterprise valuations worth tens of trillions of dollars."
