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News Topical, Digital Desk : Europe's largest aerospace company, Airbus, is preparing to distance itself from American tech giants Google, Microsoft, and Amazon Web Services (AWS). Airbus is reportedly planning to issue a major tender in January to shift its mission-critical data and applications to a European "sovereign cloud." The reason behind this move is reportedly fear of US legislation.
The company is making this decision due to growing concerns about data sovereignty under the US CLOUD Act, which allows the US government to access US companies' data even on foreign servers.
"Some of the information is extremely sensitive from a national and European perspective. We need a sovereign cloud so that it remains under complete European control," Catherine Jestin, Airbus' executive vice president for digital, told The Register.
Airbus currently uses Google Workspace and some Microsoft software, but now plans to shift critical applications such as ERP, manufacturing execution systems, CRM, and product lifecycle management (aircraft design) to the cloud. The contract is reportedly worth more than 50 million euros and could last up to 10 years.
The issue of digital sovereignty has become more serious in the US since Trump's return. Although American companies have offered solutions to address concerns, the threat of the CLOUD Act remains.
What is digital sovereignty?
Digital sovereignty refers to a nation's ability to exercise final authority over its digital future, controlling its infrastructure, data, and digital services, which operate according to its own rules. This means ensuring that local laws govern cloud operations and determine where data is located, who can access it, and how it is managed.
What is the US Cloud Act?
The Cloud Act was passed into law in the US in 2018. This law gives the US government the authority to obtain digital data from US-based technology companies, whether stored on domestic servers or on foreign soil. This law compels these companies to comply with the request through a warrant or subpoena.
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