Two-thirds of UK firms have AI exit plans; 90% back open source

A Red Hat survey of 500 IT decision makers across the UK, Netherlands, France, Germany and Italy found 67% of UK firms have written exit strategies in case a primary AI provider restricts access. Across the full sample, 90% of respondents said government policy should require open-source principles to strengthen AI sovereignty.

The research indicates two-thirds of UK organizations now treat AI resilience as an operational priority. Among UK firms with exit plans, 43% said they would face a moderate to significant business impact if a primary AI provider cut or limited service.

Red Hat reported that 87% of UK companies use agentic AI systems, behind France (91%) and Germany (90%). The survey also found gaps in governance and data visibility: 25% of UK respondents said they have strong governance frameworks for agentic AI, 17% described governance as basic or minimal, and 48% reported full visibility of where their data is stored, processed or accessible.

“AI platforms are increasingly part of UK organizations’ critical infrastructure,” Joanna Hodgson, Red Hat’s UK country manager, said, adding that many firms have exit strategies but switching providers without disruption remains difficult. She said enterprises need more control over where AI runs and consistent approaches to govern fast-changing technologies.

Hans Roth, Red Hat’s senior vice president and general manager for EMEA, noted boardroom discussions have moved from experimentation to deployment plans that meet sovereignty, security and regulatory requirements. He pointed to broad support for open-source principles and cautioned about “open washing,” where claims of openness cover only limited elements rather than broader code, data and model transparency.

Red Hat cited additional research projecting sovereign cloud spending will rise. A separate study forecast that about one-third of countries may introduce region-specific AI platforms within two years to keep data under local control. Analysts estimate nations choosing that route could need to invest at least 1% of GDP to expand AI infrastructure.

Civil society groups in the UK have urged greater support for local technology suppliers to reduce reliance on large foreign providers and limit vendor lock-in and surveillance risks. The survey found many companies want flexibility to mix models and cloud services while maintaining control over data and governance.

Digital sovereignty refers to the ability of a state or organization to control where data is stored and how technology is governed. The Red Hat survey shows UK firms are preparing exit plans and favor open-source policy, while gaps remain in governance, data visibility and the operational resilience needed to switch infrastructure without business disruption.