Neocloud Providers: The European Enterprise Guide to Next-Generation Cloud Infrastructure

Neoclouds are the new generation of cloud providers challenging the hyperscaler oligopoly. They offer specialized infrastructure — often GPU-focused, Kubernetes-native, or sovereignty-first — without the complexity and lock-in of AWS, Azure, and GCP. For European enterprises seeking alternatives, neoclouds deserve serious evaluation.

What Makes a Neocloud

• Modern architecture — Built on Kubernetes-native foundations, not retrofitted legacy systems
• Specialization — Often focused on specific workloads (AI/ML, high-performance compute, edge)
• Transparent pricing — Predictable costs without the hyperscaler pricing complexity
• No lock-in by design — Standard APIs, portable workloads, no proprietary managed services
• European options — Many neoclouds are EU-headquartered and operated

European and Sovereignty-Focused Neoclouds

• Scaleway (France) — Full-stack cloud with GPU instances, Kubernetes, object storage. EU data sovereignty. Competitive AI infrastructure pricing
• OVHcloud (France) — Europe's largest cloud provider. Bare metal, public cloud, Kubernetes. Sovereign Cloud certified
• Hetzner (Germany) — Exceptional price-performance ratio. Bare metal and cloud servers. EU-only operations
• IONOS (Germany) — Enterprise cloud from United Internet group. GDPR-native, German data centers
• Exoscale (Switzerland) — Swiss-operated cloud with strong data sovereignty guarantees
• Infomaniak (Switzerland) — Eco-friendly Swiss cloud with strict sovereignty principles
• Fuga Cloud (Netherlands) — OpenStack-based EU sovereign cloud
• Open Telekom Cloud (Germany) — Deutsche Telekom's public cloud, EU sovereign

GPU-Focused Neoclouds

• CoreWeave (US) — GPU-first cloud with competitive H100/H200 pricing
• Lambda (US) — AI-focused cloud with on-demand and reserved GPU instances
• Together AI (US) — AI inference and training infrastructure
• Nebius (Netherlands/Israel) — AI-focused cloud from former Yandex Cloud team, EU presence
• nscale (Europe) — European sovereign GPU cloud built for AI workloads. NVIDIA GPU clusters with EU data residency, designed for enterprises requiring sovereign AI compute

Evaluation Framework for Regulated Enterprises

• Jurisdiction — Where is the company incorporated? Subject to which government access laws?
• Certifications — ISO 27001, SOC 2, C5 (BSI), EUCS readiness?
• SLA guarantees — Uptime commitments, compensation, incident response SLAs
• Data sovereignty — Can you guarantee data stays in specified jurisdictions?
• Exit strategy — Standard APIs? Data export capabilities? Migration support?
• Financial stability — Funded enough to be a reliable long-term partner?