Luca BertonHyperscalers have responded to European sovereignty demands with partnership models: Google + Thales = S3NS, Microsoft + Orange/Capgemini = Bleu, Google + T-Systems = Delos (now rebranded). These offerings promise hyperscaler technology with European operational sovereignty. Do they deliver?
The Partnership Models
S3NS (Google + Thales, France)
- Google Cloud technology operated by Thales (French defense company)
- Thales holds encryption keys and controls access
- Targeting French government and critical infrastructure
- SecNumCloud certification (ANSSI) in progress
Bleu (Microsoft + Orange/Capgemini, France)
- Microsoft Azure and M365 operated by Bleu (French JV)
- Separate legal entity under French law
- Air-gapped from Microsoft's global infrastructure
- Targeting French public sector and regulated industries
Sovereign Cloud Powered by Google Cloud (Various European Partners)
- Google Cloud technology with European operational partners
- Key management by the European partner
- Data residency in specific EU countries
The Sovereignty Question
Are these truly sovereign? It depends on your definition:
- Data residency — ✅ Data stays in EU
- Operational control — ✅ European entity operates
- Key management — ✅ European entity holds keys
- Technology dependency — ❌ Underlying technology is still American
- Update dependency — ⚠️ Security patches and updates come from the US parent
- License dependency — ⚠️ The US company could theoretically revoke the technology license
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- Government/defense — May not be sufficient. True sovereignty requires European-developed technology
- Financial services — Likely sufficient for most DORA requirements. Verify with your supervisor
- Healthcare — Depends on data sensitivity and national health data regulations
- General enterprise — Good balance of hyperscaler capability with sovereignty controls
The Pragmatic View
Sovereign cloud partnerships are a transitional solution. They provide immediate sovereignty improvements while European-native technology matures. Build your infrastructure to be portable — so you can move to fully European technology when it reaches feature parity.
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