Observed Signal · Nov 14, 2024 · Partnership · Source: Trending Topics · Impact: 3/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Ecosia and Qwant Join Forces to Build European Search Index
Ecosia and Qwant, two European search engines, have announced a joint venture called European Search Perspective (EUSP) to create a sovereign European search index, aiming to reduce dependence on Google and Bing. The Paris-based JV will be owned equally, with Ecosia contributing capital and data while Qwant provides labor. OVHcloud will supply technical infrastructure and already holds a stake in Qwant. The companies aim to tailor results to European values and languages, and are open to external investors and licensing the index for AI training. Ecosia, with ~20 million users and a ~1% market share in France and Germany, saw revenue fall 8% to €24.2 million in the first nine months of 2024.
Establishes a European alternative to Google and Bing search infrastructure, potentially reshaping the search advertising market in Europe and fostering digital sovereignty.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Ecosia and Qwant announced the creation of a joint venture named European Search Perspective (EUSP), based in Paris.
- Ownership of EUSP is split evenly between Ecosia and Qwant; Ecosia provides money and data, Qwant provides labor.
- OVHcloud provides technical infrastructure for EUSP and already shares ownership with Qwant.
- Ecosia has about 20 million users and a ~1% search engine market share in France and Germany; Qwant has about 6 million users.
- Ecosia's revenue declined by 8% to €24.2 million in the first nine months of 2024 compared to the prior year.
Connected Companies & Entities
3 Entities mapped“Search engines Ecosia and Qwant have announced plans to create a joint venture called European Search Perspective (EUSP)....”
“The goal is to reduce dependence on Google and Bing and better tailor search results to the companies’ missions....”
“The technical infrastructure is provided by OVHcloud, which shares ownership with Qwant....”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
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