Cloudera has become a launch partner for the new Amazon Web Services European Sovereign Cloud to deliver a data and AI platform focused on data control, governance, and compliance within Europe.

The partnership aims to support organisations across highly regulated industries and the public sector as they navigate the evolving landscape of data sovereignty and regulatory requirements in the European Union. With a rising emphasis on keeping data within defined geographical boundaries, the collaboration is designed to help customers ensure compliance with EU regulatory standards while fostering technological innovation in artificial intelligence and analytics.

Sovereign cloud growth

Data sovereignty is becoming a core concern for businesses operating in Europe. According to IDC’s Worldwide Sovereign Cloud Market Forecast (2022-2027), spending on sovereign cloud is set to reach USD $258 billion by 2027, with an average annual growth rate of 27%. This increase reflects growing organisational demands for control, security, and compliance for data stored in public, private, and sovereign clouds as well as on-premises data centres.

The Cloudera platform for the AWS European Sovereign Cloud has been developed to address these needs, enabling organisations to manage, store, and analyse data entirely within European borders. The platform is described as ‘sovereign-by-design’, providing a comprehensive solution for operational autonomy and data governance while meeting regional compliance requirements.

Data compliance needs

For organisations in highly regulated sectors-such as finance, healthcare, and the public sector-maintaining the ability to securely manage all enterprise data within specific geographical and operational limits is essential. Without this capability, applying AI technologies and conducting analytics on sensitive workloads, while remaining compliant with EU regulations, can be extremely challenging.

Cloudera, through its collaboration with AWS, claims to offer a platform that supports data residency by ensuring that both customer data and all customer-created metadata remain within the EU. The platform also provides organisations with access to a suite of data and analytics services, enabling them to derive insights and deploy AI applications under strict sovereignty requirements.

Operational autonomy

The AWS European Sovereign Cloud infrastructure is managed separately from other AWS regions and is operated by AWS employees who are residents of the European Union. This separation is intended to further address sovereignty requirements, particularly for sectors with stringent data handling policies.

Paco Mateo-Sidron, Senior Vice President and Head of EMEA at Cloudera, highlighted the benefits for customers seeking security, compliance, and innovation.

“Our customers face growing demands for security, compliance and innovation. The AWS EU Sovereign Cloud empowers them to keep data within the EU, meet rigorous regulatory standards, and drive AI and analytics innovation-securely and with full operational autonomy,”

The collaboration is positioned to enable regulated organisations to make informed, strategic decisions by applying AI and advanced analytics to their data, all while maintaining compliance with localisation requirements.

Commitment to sovereignty

Sergio Gago, Chief Technology Officer at Cloudera, emphasised the company’s commitment to supporting organisations in their sovereign cloud initiatives.

“Cloudera is committed to supporting organizations and partners in their Sovereign Cloud endeavors, providing the technology and expertise to build a secure, innovative, sovereign data future. Bringing the Cloudera Platform to the AWS European Sovereign Cloud enables organizations to securely industrialize data and AI use cases, all while adhering to the most stringent EU regulations and powering the creation of true Private AI.”

This approach is designed to enable customers to develop and operate AI use cases securely, supporting the continued industrialisation of AI across business processes, while ensuring that all legal and regulatory frameworks are met within the EU.

Market impact

The combined offering of AWS’s cloud infrastructure and Cloudera’s hybrid data and AI platform is expected to appeal especially to businesses in sectors with high regulatory demands. By keeping data and related operations contained within the EU, organisations can move forward with digital transformation initiatives and AI-driven projects with greater confidence about compliance and operational independence.

The new solution is intended for customers seeking to use AI and analytics without compromising on European data residency, privacy, and compliance requirements.