For many European organisations, cloud decisions are no longer just about cost, scale, or performance. As companies assess options such as Amazon’s sovereign cloud, choices are increasingly shaped by questions of control: where data sits, who can access it, and how exposed critical systems are to foreign laws and political pressure.
That tension helps explain why so-called “sovereign cloud” offerings have gained attention across the European Union. These services are designed to keep data within national or regional borders and limit access to locally authorised staff. The idea has taken on added weight as regulators sharpen their focus on US technology companies and their role in Europe’s digital infrastructure.
Against that backdrop, Amazon has begun rolling out a European version of its sovereign cloud through Amazon Web Services. The AWS European Sovereign Cloud, based in Brandenburg, Germany, was first announced in 2023 and is now being positioned as a distinct setup for customers with strict data and governance needs.
Sovereign cloud is a broad term, but it usually refers to cloud services where data is stored and processed within a defined jurisdiction and is not moved elsewhere. For public agencies, defence bodies, utilities, and regulated industries such as finance and healthcare, that distinction can affect whether a cloud service is even an option.
AWS says its European sovereign cloud is “physically and logically separate” from other AWS regions. It has also created a new parent company for the service that is locally controlled within the European Union and run by EU citizens. Under what AWS describes as “extreme circumstances,” authorised EU-resident employees would have independent access to a replica of the source code needed to maintain the service.
For CIOs and compliance teams, these details matter, but they are unlikely to be taken at face value. Many organisations already rely heavily on AWS and other hyperscalers, even as boards and regulators ask tougher questions about dependency and oversight. A sovereign cloud option from an existing provider may lower friction for teams that want to stay within familiar systems while showing regulators that additional safeguards are in place.
At the same time, some buyers may see the move as a partial answer rather than a clean break. While the infrastructure may sit in Europe, AWS remains a US company subject to US law. That raises questions about how far legal separation can go in practice, and whether governance structures are enough to address long-standing concerns around access and control.
Those concerns are not abstract. European policymakers have spent years warning about reliance on foreign cloud providers for sensitive workloads. The debate has become sharper as the EU pushes for stronger enforcement of its competition and data rules. According to Synergy Research Group, AWS, Microsoft, and Google together account for around 70% of the European cloud market, a figure that continues to draw scrutiny.
That scrutiny now includes active investigations. European regulators are examining cloud services from Amazon and Microsoft under the Digital Markets Act, which is designed to curb the power of large technology firms. The timing raises an obvious question: does a sovereign cloud structure ease regulatory pressure, or does it simply run alongside it?
From a regulatory perspective, the answer may depend on whether these offerings change outcomes, not just architecture. Keeping data local and limiting access may address some privacy and security concerns, but competition authorities are also focused on market power, customer lock-in, and the ability for smaller providers to compete. A sovereign cloud operated by a dominant player does not automatically resolve those issues.
AWS has also framed its sovereign cloud as resilient in the face of global disruption, saying it can continue to operate even if communications with the rest of the world are cut off. For governments and operators of critical infrastructure, that claim speaks to continuity planning rather than performance. Still, it remains a claim made by the provider itself, and one that customers and regulators are likely to test over time rather than accept upfront.
In investment terms, Amazon said in 2024 that it would spend 7.8 billion euros on the German sovereign cloud project through 2040. The company has also said it plans to expand the setup to Belgium, the Netherlands, and Portugal. That suggests AWS expects demand from European customers to grow, even as political pressure around digital sovereignty continues.
For enterprises, the emergence of sovereign cloud options reflects a shift in how cloud risk is being judged. Cost savings and speed still matter, but they are now weighed against regulatory exposure, audit complexity, and long-term dependency. Whether AWS’s approach becomes a model for balancing those pressures, or another point of contention in Europe’s relationship with US tech firms, will depend less on structure diagrams and more on how regulators respond in practice.
(Photo by Christian Lue)
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