Rihla Research & Advisory

PathwaysTo AI Sovereignty

Middle Power Planning Scenarios for Developing Sovereign AI

This tool exists to help governments conceptualize paths toward AI sovereignty that map capabilities, dependencies, and opportunities in the AI stack.

Paths through the AI stack

Explore the profiles

Five capability profiles describe your scenario. Diversified Partner describes a strategy that can accompany any of them.

The full assessment

How your result is determined

Your result uses your answers across the whole tool. It considers who supplies each AI layer, who controls its operation and whether domestic teams have the skills, capacity and permissions to run it.

The tool selects the profile that best fits those capabilities.

  • Technology Developer — Domestic teams sustain AI development, with sufficient compute and local or shared rights to models and data.
  • Domestic Operator — Domestic teams control compute, cloud, models, data and applications, with sufficient capacity and licensed model weights stored locally.
  • Compute Host — The country hosts compute infrastructure, while foreign providers or joint partners control compute or cloud operations.
  • Hybrid Adopter — Domestic teams operate parts of the system while relying on foreign technology or providers for others.
  • AI Importer — Essential AI services depend on external operation because the selected settings do not establish sufficient domestic operating capability.

The disruption test assesses whether services can continue if a supplier withdraws or access ends. It considers replacement providers, migration times, portability, hardware maintenance and the period selected. These findings appear alongside your profile.

Your partnership choices and external customers help identify what to negotiate and where you may have bargaining power. The result also shows remaining dependencies and suggested next steps.

Profiles can overlap. The tool describes the scenario you entered and selects the closest match. It does not verify national capabilities or assign an official country ranking.