France's domestic intelligence agency has begun a multiyear process of replacing U.S. software company Palantir with French data analytics firm ChapsVision, in a move reflecting broader European efforts to strengthen technological sovereignty and reduce reliance on American technology.
France's General Directorate for Internal Security, or DGSI, first turned to Palantir after the Nov. 13, 2015, terrorist attacks in Paris, adopting the company's Gotham platform to rapidly process and analyze intelligence data. French officials had long described reliance on the U.S. system as a temporary solution until a domestic alternative became available. Nearly a decade later, that alternative has emerged.
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A man pays tribute outside the Bataclan concert hall in Paris following the Nov. 13, 2015, terrorist attacks
(Photo: Reuters)
Palantir said its contract with the DGSI remains in force for now and that its systems will continue operating during the transition to avoid disruptions in an area critical to national security. Palantir CEO Alex Karp is considered a close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump.
From 9/11 to intelligence operations
Founded in 2003 in response to intelligence failures exposed by the Sept. 11 attacks, Palantir has been involved in several high-profile U.S. national security operations. According to reports, the company's technology played a role in Operation Neptune Spear, the 2011 raid by U.S. special operations forces that killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan.
More recently, Palantir has faced criticism over its work with U.S. immigration authorities. Since January 2025, the company has signed contracts worth more than $81 million with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, including the ImmigrationOS and ELITE systems used to identify potential deportation targets.
Europe seeks local alternatives
Founded in 2019, ChapsVision markets itself as a European alternative to Palantir, specializing in integrating and analyzing large volumes of data from multiple sources. The company reported revenue of 200 million euros ($230 million) in 2025.
Germany has moved in the same direction, with its intelligence agencies also transitioning away from Palantir and adopting ChapsVision's ArgonOS platform.
France's break with Palantir is part of a broader national strategy to build domestic AI capabilities. Paris has allocated an additional 655 million euros for local artificial intelligence development and plans to launch a conversational AI assistant for all government employees by the end of the year using technology from French startup Mistral AI. A separate AI assistant is being developed for the country's public health insurance agency.
Similar debates are unfolding elsewhere in Europe. In Britain, lawmakers have called on the National Health Service to reconsider a 330 million-pound ($450 million) contract with Palantir, while London's mayor blocked a proposed partnership between the company and the Metropolitan Police over privacy and cost concerns.
European concerns have intensified following U.S. decisions to restrict foreign access to some advanced AI models, raising fears of excessive dependence on American technology.
Some experts caution, however, that abandoning U.S. platforms too aggressively could backfire if European alternatives fail to match American capabilities, potentially weakening the continent's military and cybersecurity performance.
At the same time, Chinese provider Alibaba Cloud is expanding its presence in Europe with a new cloud region designed to comply with European privacy and sovereignty requirements.
Taken together, the developments illustrate how Europe is rapidly reorganizing its artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure around locally controlled technologies.