Current geopolitical tensions have raised attention to existing cloud providers in Europe, with many European companies increasingly concerned about reliance on US-controlled services. According to various articles by specialists and practitioners, local cloud providers still offer few viable alternatives for organizations focused on European digital sovereignty. Meanwhile, major hyperscalers are targeting the market with promises of so-called "European Sovereign Cloud" solutions.
Trying to be less dependent on US-based tech companies, Alexander Samsig, senior consultant and partner at Funktive, attempts to select a European public cloud provider and writes:
Not all projects need global scale, and I'd be more than happy with a solid virtual private server (VPS), where I can deploy my services as a Docker container. This is when I thought, this will be easy, I'll just find a great public cloud provider, with servers in Norway! Oh how wrong I was...
Comparing the main available options including OVHcloud, Scaleway, Hetzner, and Open Telekom Cloud, Samsig explains that technical capabilities remain a crucial challeng. While European providers may not match the breadth of services offered by AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud, they might excel in specific areas. One possible approach is hybrid solutions that combine European providers for sensitive workloads with hyperscalers for other needs.
Source: Samsig provides a dynamic table comparing the main European providers
European cloud providers are supposed to provide alternatives to US hyperscalers while addressing data sovereignty concerns, with varying levels of protection from foreign surveillance laws like the US CLOUD Act, with some offering complete independence from non-European control. The use of major cloud providers for projects in Europe is often discussed among developers with user willjr200 reminding:
The CLOUD Act allows US law enforcement agencies to access data stored in the EU by US-based companies, even if that data belongs to EU citizens. This would be a major concern regarding data privacy due to potential conflicts with the EU's GDPR.
While Samsig focuses on the challenges for a developer choosing a local alternative, in the article "But how to get to that European cloud?", Bert Hubert, entrepreneur and software developer, takes a broader look at the status of the market and summarizes:
It has now become clear that European governments can no longer rely on American clouds, and that we lack good and comprehensive alternatives. Market forces have failed to deliver a truly European cloud, and businesses won’t naturally buy as yet unproven cloud services, even when adorned with a beautiful European flag, so for now nothing will happen.
In a popular HackerNews thread, user dataking comments:
I didn’t see any mention of EU’s last attempt to build a sovereign cloud: Gaia-X. I think that didn’t really go anywhere due to disagreements over technical direction. Much like Quaero.
Both Samsig and Hubert agree that organizations should assess whether a provider's offerings align with their specific workload requirements rather than seeking feature parity with hyperscalers: while European providers may not match the breadth of services offered by AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud, they might excel in specific areas. Samsig adds:
In 2025, the choice of a cloud provider isn't just about technology or price. For me, Scaleway stands out as the best option as a European public cloud provider. There isn't much I'll miss from the big three, and I think in general it is probably time to focus more on self-hosting again.
In "Taking the Airbus to the IKEA Cloud," Hubert warned already last year that Europe has nothing that competes with the traditional hyperscalers "and is 100% dependent on the 'IKEA clouds'. We only have partial companies."
The articles acknowledge that European providers face challenges, including smaller scale and potentially higher costs compared to global hyperscalers. However, they suggest that for many European organizations, the benefits of data sovereignty and simplified compliance may outweigh these drawbacks. Looking ahead to the next few years, Hubert writes:
The common thread in all of this is that governments need much deeper technological expertise and must integrate that knowledge into policy-making. Because only with a strong understanding of industry can you implement effective industrial policy. And if we do this well, we might just be able to create a European Airbus for our industry.
Selecting a European cloud provider requires careful evaluation of sovereignty, technical capabilities, and regulatory compliance. European cloud providers mentioned include OVHcloud, Scaleway, Hetzner, and Open Telekom Cloud, each with different strengths and governance models.
The largest US-based cloud providers have taken different approaches to address concerns by companies based in Europe, with Amazon recently announcing the European Sovereign Cloud, a new independent German region in the works. InfoQ previously covered the announcement.
Constantin Graf, freelance software developer, maintains a list of European alternatives for digital products, including cloud computing platforms.
About the Author
