AWS flips switch on Euro cloud as customers fret about digital sovereignty

Steven

AWS flips switch on Euro cloud as customers fret about digital sovereignty

Summary

AWS has made its European Sovereign Cloud generally available, positioning the service as physically and logically separate from other AWS Regions and entirely located within the EU. The initial offer covers about 90 services across compute, databases, networking, security, storage and AI. AWS says the cloud will be independently operated by EU residents, with metadata, IAM, billing and usage metering kept in the EU. A new EU parent company and three German subsidiaries will manage the unit, overseen by an advisory board and led by Stefan Hoechbauer. AWS is also expanding Dedicated Local Zones and offering options such as AI Factories and Outposts for customers with stricter residency or isolation requirements.

Key Points

  • AWS European Sovereign Cloud is now GA and initially offers 90 services focused on EU-only operations.
  • The service is claimed to be physically and logically separate, with metadata, IAM, billing and metering retained inside the EU.
  • Operation and governance: an EU parent company plus three German subsidiaries, an advisory board and EU-resident staff manage the cloud.
  • AWS will expand Dedicated Local Zones (Belgium, Netherlands, Portugal announced) and supports AI Factories, Outposts and on‑prem options for stricter control.
  • Sceptics point to US extraterritorial laws (eg CLOUD Act) and past vendor admissions as unresolved legal risks; AWS highlights Nitro, encryption, KMS and HSMs as technical protections.

Content Summary

AWS’s launch is a direct response to growing European demand for data sovereignty amid geopolitical and legal uncertainty. The offering combines operational controls (EU staff and entities), technical controls (Nitro-based access restrictions, encryption, key management and hardware security modules) and dedicated local infrastructure to reassure customers. Analysts and vendors note a rising appetite for local or sovereign clouds, but many organisations remain unsure whether hyperscalers can fully eliminate jurisdictional exposure to US law.

Context and Relevance

Digital sovereignty is now a major procurement and risk topic across Europe. Hyperscalers hold the lion’s share of the market, so moves by AWS (and similar steps from Microsoft and Google) are significant for public bodies, regulated industries and large enterprises weighing compliance and geopolitical risk. The announcement will influence cloud strategy, vendor selection, and legal due diligence — but it does not fully settle questions about extraterritorial legal reach and vendor obligations.

Why should I read this?

Because if you’re deciding where to put sensitive data or planning cloud procurement, this is the headline everyone will be quoting. AWS is trying to squish sovereignty worries with legal, operational and technical promises — worth a skim if you’re curious, and a proper read if your organisation’s data or compliance is on the line.

Source

Source: https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2026/01/15/aws_european_sovereign_cloud/