OVHcloud: Europe’s Sovereign Cloud Provider for Strategic Autonomy
In an era when control over data has become a linchpin of national security and economic strategy, one European company is positioning itself as a cornerstone of digital sovereignty. OVHcloud – headquartered in France – has quietly grown into Europe’s leading cloud services provider, offering an alternative to the dominant American hyperscalers. Its 25-year journey from a modest web hosting startup to a global cloud operator mirrors Europe’s broader quest for technological autonomy. Today, OVHcloud operates hundreds of thousands of servers in dozens of data centers worldwide, yet its ethos remains rooted in European values of privacy, security, and openness[1][2]. As governments and industries grapple with the strategic risks of foreign-controlled infrastructure, OVHcloud’s emergence offers a case study in how homegrown tech firms can bolster Europe’s strategic autonomy. This introduction sets the stage for a deep-dive into OVHcloud’s strategic-technological profile – from its certified secure cloud offerings to its role in cutting dependencies on non-allied suppliers – and why its evolution is drawing the keen interest of European policymakers and defense planners.