“Billions of reasons” for open web search in Europe

Market analysis of an open web search infrastructure predicts macroeconomic potential in the billions

Digital innovation and value creation in Europe are increasingly based on the availability of extensive, open web data and information from the Internet. For the first time, a comprehensive economic study examines the potential of an open web index in the context of the pan-European Open Web Search Initiative and the OpenWebSearch.eu project of the same name.

The study, which was carried out by the Munich-based management consultancy Mücke Roth & Company, shows how a comprehensive open web index and web data pool for Europe could pave the way for greater digital sovereignty, innovation and value creation.

The meaning of an Open Web Index for Europe

The starting point is that the global search engine and AI market is currently run by few tech giants who have created significant web indices and web data pools for themselves, but not openly sharing these with other innovators. Similar to a library catalog, a web index serves as a directory and structured copy of the open internet. Search engines access these indices to extract search results with their algorithms or to train AI systems. “We all use a search engines countless times a day – in Europe mostly Google – or, more recently, AI chat bots such as ChatGPT to access relevant information from the web.

These services are only supposedly free. As users, business people or researchers, we have to disclose valuable data and information about our goals and intentions, which are subsequently used by the providers for marketing purposes. Furthermore, we are not given any insight into the algorithms that create the highly personalized and filtered search results for our queries. “As individuals, as a business and as a society, we are therefore becoming completely dependent on a few large tech companies,” explains Stefan Voigt, CEO of the Open Search Foundation.

Since 2022, the EU-funded OpenWebSearch.eu project has been working with a total of 14 partners from research and industry as well as several large data centers, to build a decentralized and open European web index and demonstrate its economic value for Europe. This web index is to be used as the basis for numerous digital and analog innovations in Europe in the future.

For the first time, a study now shows the measurable potential. The Munich-based management consultancy Mücke Roth & Company – accompanied by the Open Search Foundation – has recently spent nine months compiling a comprehensive economic study on the market potential of open internet search. In addition to the market potential, the study also highlights the positive societal impact of an open European web index. The study also lists a large number of growth opportunities that could arise for Europe – this applies to the IT and AI sector as well as to traditional industry, the start-up scene and SMEs. The cost-benefit evaluation shows that an open search infrastructure for the web amortizes by the fourth year.

The report also predicts a concrete economic benefit of 4 to 5 billion euros within the first decade. The non-commercial, societal benefits of an open web index were also examined, taking into account a total of six key areas. These were rated as extremely positive.

About Open Search Foundation

The non-profit association based in Starnberg has been driving the Open Web Search Initiative in Europe since 2018 and has been working with 13 other European research institutions and data centers in the OpenWebSearch.eu project of the same name since 2022 to develop an open European Internet infrastructure. The Open Search Foundation also carries out research, education and awareness-raising work. These include the areas of search literacy, ethics and law.

About Mücke Roth & Company

Mücke Roth & Company (MRC) is a family-owned management consultancy in the heart of Munich with around 50 full-time professionals and over 70 independent industry experts. Since 2003, MRC has been creating growth for its clients by providing hands-on support in strategy development and implementation. MRC’s consulting teams combine many years of practical operational experience, industry know-how and methodical consulting expertise.

Marktpotenzial-Studie für einen offenen Webindex