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ChatGPT set to join Pentagon’s GenAI.mil platform

Mohammed Husain, OpenAI’s Strategic Delivery Lead for Cyber, said at the Defense One Tech Summit in Virginia that the company expects to launch ChatGPT on GenAI.mil, the US Department of Defense’s enterprise-wide generative AI platform, in early July. The deployment would extend ChatGPT access to more than 3 million defence, civilian, and military personnel.

According to Husain, the version of ChatGPT deployed on GenAI.mil will be certified to handle Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) and operate at Impact Level 5 (IL5), a Defense Department cloud security classification for systems processing sensitive unclassified information. Husain said OpenAI continues to coordinate with the Pentagon’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO) on the rollout.

The Department of Defense launched GenAI.mil in December 2025, initially centred on Gemini for Government, before announcing plans to integrate models from OpenAI and xAI. Outside GenAI.mil, federal agencies have had access to ChatGPT since at least January 2025 through ChatGPT Gov.

In August 2025, OpenAI and the General Services Administration reached a OneGov agreement that reduced the price of ChatGPT access for federal agencies. Most recently, OpenAI’s GPT-5.4 model became available to federal government users on Amazon Bedrock and AWS GovCloud earlier this month.

Husain said that as the Department of Defense adopts more capable models, token consumption, the units used by AI systems to process and generate information, is likely to increase, particularly for higher-value tasks.

He pointed to Amazon’s early June announcement that OpenAI’s GPT-5.5, GPT-5.4, and Codex models are now available on Amazon Bedrock as an example of broader access to more capable, token-intensive models.

Husain said token efficiency, measured by the cost of completing tasks rather than raw processing speed, is expected to become an increasingly important consideration in government AI deployments as model capabilities advance.

Why does this matter?

The planned rollout highlights how frontier AI models are moving from experimental deployments into core government and defence infrastructure. Rather than relying on a single provider, the Pentagon is building an ecosystem that includes models from OpenAI, Google and xAI, reflecting a broader strategy of integrating commercial AI capabilities into operational environments.

The development also illustrates the growing institutionalisation of relationships between leading AI companies and national security organisations. As advanced AI systems become embedded in government workflows, questions around security, procurement, oversight, interoperability, and strategic dependence on private-sector AI providers are likely to become increasingly important.

The deployment of ChatGPT on GenAI.mil, therefore, represents not only a technology upgrade but also a step in the evolving governance of AI within national security institutions.

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Vietnam targets digital economy at 30% of GDP by 2030

Vietnam has approved a national programme to develop its digital economy and digital society from 2026 to 2030, setting a target for the digital economy’s value-added contribution to reach around 30% of GDP by the end of the decade.

The programme aims to accelerate digital transformation across public services, businesses and society through digital platforms, data infrastructure, AI and wider adoption of digital services.

Economic targets include supporting at least 500,000 small and medium-sized enterprises in adopting digital technologies, developing at least five data exchanges, and building at least five Vietnamese digital technology companies able to compete with firms in advanced economies.

The plan also sets infrastructure and access goals. Vietnam aims to provide fibre-optic broadband to all households, extend 5G coverage to 99% of the population, and ensure that all citizens aged 14 and above have digital identification and authentication tools.

Human capital development is also central to the strategy. The government aims to provide basic digital skills training to more than 10 million working-age people by 2030, including skills for using online public services, digital payments, online safety and AI.

The programme forms part of Vietnam’s broader national digital transformation strategy, alongside digital government initiatives and efforts to strengthen competitiveness, productivity and innovation capacity.

Why does it matter?

Vietnam’s programme shows how emerging economies are treating digital infrastructure, AI, data platforms and digital skills as core economic policy, not only technology policy. The targets are ambitious and cover both market development and social access, from SMEs and data exchanges to broadband, 5G, digital ID and digital literacy. The practical impact will depend on implementation, investment and whether businesses and citizens can adopt digital tools at scale.

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Finland proposes rules for EU Cyber Resilience Act

The Finnish Government has proposed the approval of national provisions supplementing the EU Cyber Resilience Act, which sets cybersecurity requirements for products with digital elements.

The legislation will enter into force on 1 June 2026, with phased application aligned with the Cyber Resilience Act’s transitional periods during 2026 and 2027. The aim is to improve the cybersecurity of connected devices and software placed on the EU market.

The Cyber Resilience Act will be supplemented in Finland by a new national act on the cyber resilience of certain products and cybersecurity certification. The act covers supervision of product-related obligations, notification of conformity assessment bodies under the Cyber Resilience Act, administrative sanctions, and national provisions linked to the EU cybersecurity certification.

Market surveillance under the Cyber Resilience Act, along with the designation and supervision of notified bodies, will be assigned to the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency, Traficom. Market surveillance of high-risk AI systems will be carried out by the authorities responsible for supervising compliance with the AI Act, depending on the sector.

Conformity assessment bodies will be able to apply to Traficom from 11 June 2026 to be notified for assessment tasks under the Cyber Resilience Act. Bodies notified by Finland will be able to carry out conformity assessments across the EU member states within their area of competence.

Finland will also add a new chapter to the Act on Electronic Communications Services concerning the collection and disclosure of domain name registration data under the NIS2 Directive. The obligations will extend beyond .fi and .ax domains where the registrar or top-level domain registry is located in Finland, after a three-month transitional period.

The Government said the domain name provisions will complement Finland’s national implementation of NIS2 and improve the availability of registration data, making it easier to tackle illegal activity online.

Why does it matter?

Finland’s legislation shows how EU cybersecurity rules are being translated into national enforcement structures. The Cyber Resilience Act sets product security obligations at the EU level, but member states still need national provisions for supervision, notified bodies, sanctions, and certification. The added NIS2 domain registration rules also show how cybersecurity implementation is expanding beyond products into online infrastructure and data availability for enforcement.

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EuroDIG 2026 to bring European internet governance voices to Brussels

EuroDIG 2026 will take place on 26 and 27 May at the Charlemagne Building of the European Commission in Brussels, bringing together Europe’s internet governance community for two days of discussions on the future of the digital environment.

The event will be hosted by EURid, the registry operator for the .eu domain name, with support from the European Commission, a longstanding institutional partner of EuroDIG. This year’s edition also marks 20 years of .eu domain, celebrating two decades of what organisers describe as a trusted European digital identity.

The overarching theme is ‘European Voices for the Future of the Internet – Celebrating 20 Years of .eu and the Beginning of a New Internet Governance Era’. Discussions are expected to address issues including openness, security, multistakeholder governance, and Europe’s digital policy priorities.

Over the past 18 years, EuroDIG has served as a European multistakeholder platform for discussions on internet governance and digital public policy. Outcomes from the discussions contribute to broader international internet governance processes, including the Internet Governance Forum.

Participants from government, civil society, academia, the technical community, business, and youth groups are expected to take part in the discussions. Sessions will address topics including AI, digital identity, information integrity, infrastructure resilience, digital sovereignty, and democracy online.

Digital Watch Observatory is following EuroDIG 2026 through a dedicated event page, featuring session information and reporting from Brussels.

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World Economic Forum signals new phase for frontier technologies

Frontier technologies are entering a more explicitly geopolitical phase, according to discussions highlighted at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos. Competition is increasingly defined by infrastructure, energy systems, supply chains and standards, rather than pure technological capability.

AI sits at the centre of this shift, with the main constraint moving from model performance to physical capacity. Rising electricity demand, grid limits and resource pressures are shaping large-scale data centre deployment, making energy infrastructure key to digital competitiveness.

New approaches are emerging to address these bottlenecks. Start-ups such as Emerald AI are developing software that enables data centres to adjust power consumption dynamically, shifting workloads, using stored energy and responding to grid conditions in real time.

Early demonstrations suggest potential reductions in peak demand, supporting more flexible integration with electricity systems.

Broader frontier technology trends reflect the same pattern, from robotics capital inflows in China to satellite infrastructure debates in Europe and accelerating post-quantum security standards.

Across sectors, infrastructure resilience and strategic coordination are becoming central to technological development. The shift matters because it reframes frontier technology as an infrastructure and governance issue rather than a purely innovation-driven race.

It reinforces the need to track how digital systems are increasingly constrained and enabled by energy, standards and cross-border coordination. Such a perspective helps explain where real power is concentrating in the global tech stack and where future regulatory and market tensions are likely to emerge.

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Future intelligent networks move towards 6G era

Digital infrastructure remains central to modern society, with mobile networks forming the backbone of global connectivity and technological progress. According to Ericsson, research efforts are increasingly focused on ensuring that today’s 5G systems evolve into more advanced and intelligent network platforms.

The future 6G era is expected to go beyond traditional connectivity, enabling immersive communication experiences, intelligent machine interaction, and the development of large-scale digital twins.

Networks are anticipated to become cognitive systems, capable of learning, adapting, and making autonomous decisions in real time.

Alongside new capabilities, future networks will further strengthen core requirements such as security, privacy, reliability, and resilience. Advanced distributed processing will be embedded across network architecture to support real-time operations and system stability at scale.

Ericsson’s 6G vision aligns with the 2030 timeframe, emphasising open and standardised ecosystems that support global collaboration. Interoperability remains central, enabling innovation and seamless connectivity across devices and services.

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Microsoft expands cloud footprint in Denmark

Microsoft has opened a new data centre region in Denmark, marking a major investment in cloud infrastructure and digital resilience. The Denmark East region spans multiple sites and aims to support secure, local data processing.

The project is expected to boost economic activity, with billions of dollars in projected spending and strong spillover effects for local technology firms. Organisations adopting cloud services are likely to rely on domestic partners across IT, cybersecurity, and software development.

Businesses and public sector users will gain access to advanced cloud and AI tools, alongside improved data sovereignty under the EU rules. Local data storage and low-latency services are designed to strengthen compliance and operational efficiency.

Sustainability also plays a central role, with renewable energy use, zero-water-cooling systems, and waste-heat recovery supporting local Danish communities. Broader ambitions include reinforcing digital sovereignty while enabling innovation across industries.

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EU investigates cyber attack targeting Commission websites

The European Commission has confirmed a cyber-attack targeting its cloud infrastructure hosting the Europa.eu services, with authorities acting swiftly to contain the incident and prevent disruption to public access.

The attack was identified on 24 March, prompting immediate mitigation measures to secure systems and maintain service continuity.

Preliminary findings indicate that some data may have been accessed from affected websites, although the full scope of the incident remains under investigation.

The Commission has begun notifying the relevant EU entities that may be affected, while continuing efforts to assess the extent of the breach and strengthen safeguards.

Officials confirmed that internal systems were not affected, limiting the overall impact of the attack.

Monitoring efforts remain ongoing, with additional security measures being implemented to protect data and infrastructure, rather than relying solely on existing defences. The Commission has also committed to analysing the incident to improve its cybersecurity capabilities.

The attack comes amid growing cyber and hybrid threats targeting European institutions and critical services.

Existing frameworks, including the NIS2 Directive and the Cyber Solidarity Act, aim to strengthen resilience and coordination across member states, supporting a more unified response to large-scale cyber incidents across the EU.

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EU and Japan strengthen digital partnership in ICT Dialogue

The European Commission and Japan have reinforced their digital cooperation through the 31st the EU–Japan ICT Dialogue held in Tokyo, focusing on advancing shared priorities in emerging technologies instead of pursuing separate national strategies.

A meeting that forms part of the broader EU–Japan Digital Partnership, which aims to deepen collaboration in key areas of the digital economy.

Discussions covered a wide range of topics, including AI, cybersecurity, and secure connectivity infrastructure such as submarine cables and Arctic networks.

Both sides also explored developments in 5G and 6G technologies, alongside emerging solutions like quantum key distribution, highlighting the importance of secure and resilient communication systems in an evolving digital landscape.

The dialogue also emphasised cooperation between the EU AI Office and AI Safety Institute, as well as joint efforts in research, innovation, and international standardisation.

These initiatives aim to align regulatory approaches and technological development rather than create fragmented global frameworks.

By strengthening collaboration across critical digital sectors, the EU and Japan seek to enhance technological resilience and promote secure, interoperable systems.

The ongoing partnership reflects a shared commitment to shaping global digital standards while supporting innovation and economic growth in both regions.

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VTC expands AI training across all programmes in Hong Kong

The Vocational Training Council (VTC) has introduced an ‘AI for All’ strategy to integrate AI training across its programmes, aiming to support Hong Kong’s ambition to strengthen its innovation and technology sector.

The initiative aligns with broader policy priorities, including the ‘AI Plus’ approach outlined in national planning frameworks and Hong Kong’s budget, which emphasise integrating AI across industries while addressing a shortage of skilled professionals.

Under the ‘AI+Professional’ model, all Higher Diploma students are required to study IT modules covering prompt engineering, generative AI, and AI ethics and security, with training adapted to disciplines such as engineering, design, and information technology.

The council has also partnered with technology companies through memorandums of understanding. It provides ongoing training for employees in government and industry, while offering internal AI tools and a ‘Virtual Tutor’ platform to support teaching and learning.

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