The Amazon Web Services (AWS) stand at the ISE show in Barcelona, the world’s leading audiovisual and systems integration show, on January 31, 2023 (AFP/Archives/Pau BARRENA)
The American e-commerce and digital giant Amazon announced on Wednesday that it would invest, via its subsidiary specializing in cloud computing (AWS), 7.8 billion euros in Germany by 2040, in order to support the development of the European sovereign cloud.
The “European sovereign cloud”, as envisaged by the main players in the sector, all American, aims to install servers on the territory of the European Union which will be able to accommodate the sensitive data of European companies, public services or individuals, in ensuring that they remain under legislation – particularly concerning data protection in the EU – which is stricter than in the United States for example.
The question of a sovereign cloud is considered strategically essential in Europe, where nearly 80% of the cloud market for public services is controlled by three American groups, AWS, Google and Microsoft, while European alternatives struggle to compete. stand out.
But states and companies alike are hesitant to host their most sensitive data there, due to the risks of access by third parties, in particular by the American authorities.
AWS (Amazon Web Services) assures, in its press release, that its European sovereign cloud will be an independent server structure, for Europe, “set up to provide more choice to public sector organizations and highly regulated industries in order to meet to their needs in terms of sovereignty.
It must enable AWS customers to “meet strict requirements for operational autonomy and data residency within the EU, with infrastructures that are completely local, within the EU, and operated independently of other regions “.
– European infrastructure –
“This investment reinforces our commitment to offering our customers the most advanced offering in terms of respect for sovereignty, protection of private data and all the security options available on the cloud. We are investing heavily in order to help provide the operational sovereignty that our customers demand,” explained the vice president of the “sovereign cloud” branch of AWS, Max Peterson, quoted in the press release.
This is AWS’s second major investment within the EU in less than a week: the Elysée welcomed on Sunday, during the Choose France summit in Versailles, an investment of 1 .2 billion euros in France, also on cloud infrastructure as well as artificial intelligence (AI), with 3,000 direct jobs at stake.
The announcement also comes as the European Commission seeks to help the development of European companies capable of developing cloud infrastructures, in order to host the most sensitive data.
At the end of 2023, it announced the establishment of an envelope of 1.2 billion euros of public financing, as part of an important project of common European interest (PIIEC), which “should make it possible to unlock 1.4 billion euros in additional private investment” in order to move in this direction.
IPCEIs allow several European states to come together to finance the development of an industry in a sector considered essential at European level, while respecting European rules on business subsidies.
The one dedicated to the cloud brings together Germany, Spain, France, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands and Poland, as well as 19 companies, including the operators Orange and Telefonica, the conglomerate Siemens, as well as CapGemini , OVH or Atos.
Faced with the difficulties of Atos, which is heavily in debt, the French government announced at the end of April that it was initiating negotiations with a view to acquiring the group’s sovereign activities.
© 2024 AFP
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