In a bold move to challenge the dominance of U.S. tech giants, two European search engines, Ecosia and Qwant, have announced a groundbreaking partnership to develop their own search engine infrastructure. This collaboration, named the European Search Perspective (EUSP), aims to reduce dependence on American Big Tech firms and offer improved search results for French and German language users.
The joint venture, equally owned by Berlin-based Ecosia and Paris-headquartered Qwant, is set to launch in France in early 2025. This initiative marks a significant shift in the search engine landscape, as both companies currently rely on existing technology from major players like Microsoft to deliver search results.
Christian Kroll, CEO of Ecosia, attributes the feasibility of this project partly to the European Union's new Digital Markets Act (DMA). The DMA requires large tech companies, termed "gatekeepers," to provide fair access to their platforms, including sharing data useful for training search models.
The EUSP aims to build a search index from scratch, incorporating results from various search engines. This move comes as alternative search providers face increasing costs from Microsoft for access to its Bing Search API.
Olivier Abecassis, CEO of Qwant and the newly formed venture, emphasizes the importance of technological sovereignty for European businesses. He states, "We are European companies and we need to build technology that makes sure no third-party decision could jeopardize our business."
The partnership also seeks to create a "transparent and secure data pool" for new AI technologies, addressing concerns about the future of search in the era of generative AI. As ChatGPT and other AI-powered search alternatives gain popularity, traditional search providers may become more restrictive with their data.
This European initiative represents a strategic response to the changing search landscape and the need for greater technological independence. By developing their own search infrastructure, Ecosia and Qwant aim to offer users a privacy-focused, sustainable alternative to the current search engine giants while fostering European technological innovation.