French spy agency DGSI to replace Palantir with local firm ChapsVision, citing digital sovereignty

The announcement

On June 16, 2026, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced that France's domestic intelligence agency, the DGSI, had selected French firm ChapsVision to replace U.S. tech giant Palantir for its data analytics needs. In a video posted on the eve of the VivaTech conference, Lecornu said the agency had "retained" ChapsVision to "substitute the American giant Palantir." The switch will not happen overnight: Palantir's contract, renewed in December 2025 until 2028, "remains fully in force" during a transition expected to take several years. Lecornu's office clarified that Palantir's tools would continue to be used until ChapsVision's were fully integrated "to avoid a capability gap."

We must use our own AI models; we cannot accept new strategic dependencies in the digital sphere.

Sovereignty concerns

The decision was framed as a necessary step toward "strategic autonomy." Lecornu argued that France could not "rely on tools developed by foreign powers" and must "build real autonomy" to avoid depending on partners who might "turn off the access tap" to AI. The move came just a week after the Trump administration ordered Anthropic to suspend access for all foreign nationals to its most powerful AI models, Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5, citing national security. That restriction alarmed several declared and potential candidates for France's 2027 presidential election, who called for distancing from the United States in AI development.

We cannot rely on tools developed by foreign powers. France must have its own tools.

European backlash

France is not alone. European governments have grown increasingly wary of dependency on U.S. tech platforms, especially Palantir, which was co-founded by billionaire Peter Thiel with CIA backing. Germany's military has already said it will stop using Palantir, and the country's BfV internal security service has reportedly also selected ChapsVision. In Britain, the National Health Service is reviewing its £330 million data contract with Palantir following political and parliamentary pressure, while London Mayor Sadiq Khan blocked a proposed £50 million contract with the Metropolitan Police on value-for-money and procurement grounds.

The contract remains fully in force.

ChapsVision's rise

Founded in 2019 by Olivier Dellenbach, ChapsVision generated €200 million in revenue in 2025, a fraction of Palantir's $4.5 billion. Nevertheless, it positions itself as a credible European alternative for "trusted AI and data." The firm says it will become the "technological foundation" for critical data processing across multiple French public agencies. The DGSI, which had been seeking a domestic alternative since 2018 under then-director Laurent Nuñez, selected ChapsVision through an innovation partnership launched in 2022 that also covers other intelligence services, customs, police and gendarmerie.

What's next

Lecornu also unveiled a wider €655 million investment in artificial intelligence, including a shared chatbot for all state services, a public health chatbot for the Ameli health insurance agency, and a new digital platform to simplify access to public data. The transition from Palantir will take years. The U.S. company insists its tools will remain in place as long as France needs them, and the 2028 horizon suggests no immediate disruption to DGSI operations.