As AI becomes an engine of national competitiveness, the concept of sovereign AI—the capacity to operate AI systems free from external influence—is increasingly relevant, but the path to adoption is filled with challenges. A recent survey of over 900 IT leaders and AI engineers about AI adoption exposes a significant "value gap," showing that, despite high enthusiasm (72%), only 7% of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) organizations are delivering results.The survey highlights that data privacy and infrastructure silos are paralyzing AI development efforts. As a result, sovereign A