The French government said it will switch from Microsoft Windows to the open-source operating system Linux. The move aims to reduce reliance on U.S. technology, TechCrunch reported on Thursday.

French Minister David Amiel (다비드 아미엘) said in a statement, "We can no longer accept a situation in which the government does not have control over its data and digital infrastructure."

Linux is an open-source operating system that can be downloaded and used for free, with various distributions optimised for specific uses. The French government did not disclose a conversion timetable or which distributions it is reviewing. Microsoft did not immediately respond.

The decision is part of a broader move to bolster France's "digital sovereignty" strategy by reducing dependence on U.S. Big Tech and using domestic technology and cloud services, in response to what it described as unstable and unpredictable U.S. actions since the launch of the Trump administration.

Across Europe, wariness is also growing about excessive dependence on U.S. technology. The European Parliament in January adopted a report instructing the European Commission to identify areas where the EU could reduce reliance on overseas suppliers.

France also said a few months ago it would replace the government's videoconferencing tool from Microsoft Teams with a French-made service called Visio, built on the open-source encrypted videoconferencing tool Jitsi. The government said it also plans to move its health data platform to a new trusted platform within this year.