EU weighs restricting use of U.S. cloud platforms to process sensitive government data, sources tell CNBC
There have been increasing calls within Europe for the region's most critical workloads to diversify away from dominant U.S. cloud providers.
AI Summary
The European Union is considering restricting member governments' use of U.S. cloud providers for handling sensitive data as part of its upcoming "Tech Sovereignty Package" expected to be presented on May 27. The European Commission is discussing measures that would limit exposure of sensitive public-sector data to cloud platforms from non-EU companies, particularly in critical sectors like finance, judiciary, and health, while not entirely prohibiting overseas providers from government contracts. These proposals aim to increase Europe's strategic autonomy and reduce dependence on dominant U.S. cloud providers in favor of homegrown European alternatives.