The Trump administration\u2019s sweeping tariffs have ruffled feathers across the world \u2014 and reignited Europe\u2019s push for digital sovereignty.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n One of the key focus points has been Europe\u2019s cloud infrastructure, which is currently dominated by US tech giants: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP). Together, the \u201cbig three\u201d <\/span>account for more than 50% of the continent\u2019s cloud market<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cEurope has been heavily reliant on US tech and cloud for decades,\u201d said Mark Boost, CEO of UK-based web hosting company Civo. \u201cBut there are alternatives, where France, Germany, and the UK have full control of their data and cloud landscape.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Trump\u2019s tariffs, Boost added, had \u201ccemented the idea that Europe can no longer afford to rely on the US for its digital infrastructure.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Thankfully, Europe has loads of <\/span>homegrown cloud providers<\/span>. <\/span>The largest is France\u2019s <\/span>OVHcloud, which runs the world\u2019s largest data centre by surface area. Others include Finland\u2019s UpCloud, Switzerland\u2019s Exoscale, Germany\u2019s IONOS, and France\u2019s Scaleway (the cloud provider of <\/span>choice<\/span> for French AI unicorn Mistral).<\/span><\/p>\n These alternative cloud providers may not match the scale and breadth of services offered by the US hyperscalers. They do, however, offer something very attractive in these uncertain geopolitical times: data sovereignty and privacy.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As Alexander Samsig, senior consultant and partner at Norwegian tech consultancy Funktive, put it in a recent <\/span>blog post<\/span><\/a>: \u201cIn 2025, the choice of a cloud provider isn\u2019t just about technology<\/a> or price.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Boost echoes that sentiment. \u201c<\/span>A sovereign European cloud could foster an ecosystem defined by fairness and transparency, in which domestic providers can compete, and customers have maximum freedom to choose the service that\u2019s right for them,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s not a pipedream, either \u2014 Europe has cut its dependence on powerful American tech before and can do it again.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Europeans once relied entirely on the US for GPS access, but today, smartphone users on the continent can access navigation through the EU\u2019s Galileo satellite system. Launched in 2016, Galileo is one of the world\u2019s best satellite networks, and <\/span>unlike others<\/span><\/a>, it\u2019s a civilian system designed with secure service provision at its core. It cost around <\/span>\u20ac10bn to build and deploy.<\/span><\/p>\n If Europe is truly committed to building sovereign cloud infrastructure, it will need to back up its ambitions with significant investment.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAllocating funding for domestic sovereign clouds would also go a long way to supporting domestic industries, and would send a clear signal that Europe can chart an independent path from the US and China,\u201d said Boost.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Political momentum on this front looks to be building. In a <\/span>speech<\/span><\/a> yesterday, <\/span>France\u2019s AI minister, Clara Chapp<\/a>az, called on the continent to \u201cwork as a pack\u201d to take on US \u201cpredator\u201d tech firms, particularly in the cloud services sector.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n To shield Europe from US tech dominance, Chappaz urged the bloc to enforce its digital rulebook, stand up to Trump\u2019s \u201cidiotic\u201d trade war, and hit back with digital taxes on Big Tech \u2014 if required.<\/span><\/p>\n She also slammed \u201csovereignty washing\u201d \u2014 when US cloud giants partner with EU firms to appear sovereign \u2014 and backed strict standards like France\u2019s SecNumCloud certification, which disqualifies foreign-owned providers based on shareholding caps.<\/span><\/p>\n Chappaz said Europe is finally \u201cwaking up\u201d to the need for true cloud independence. The minister also claimed that both OVHcloud and Scaleway saw record client growth since Trump took office.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Europe\u2019s digital sovereignty will be a hot topic at\u00a0<\/span>TNW Conference<\/a>, which takes place on June 19-20 in Amsterdam. Tickets for the event are\u00a0now on sale<\/a>. Use the code TNWXMEDIA<\/a>2025 at the check-out to get 30% off the price tag.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
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