Google is following Microsoft’s example, updating its sovereign cloud solutions in an effort to allay growing concerns from the EU.

Digital sovereignty has become a growing issue for the EU, especially with the growing geopolitical tension. The US has increasingly been alienating some of its long-time EU allies, and this has led many to grow wary of relying on US cloud providers.

The concerns recently came to a head when, in response to the Trump administration’s sanctions on the International Criminal Court and Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan, Microsoft shut down Khan’s email account, significantly disrupting the ICC’s ability to conduct its business.

In the wake of the incident, Google is doubling down on its commitment to digital sovereignty, as Hayete Gallot, Google Cloud President of Customer Experience, wrote in a blog post.

Today, we’re pleased to announce significant technical and commercial updates on our sovereign cloud solutions for customers, and details on how we’re helping them achieve greater control, choice, and security in the cloud — without compromising functionality.

Building on the first sovereign solutions we introduced years ago, we’ve massively scaled our infrastructure footprint globally, now consisting of more than 42 cloud regions, 127 zones, 202 network edge locations, and 33 subsea cable investments.

Gallot goes on emphasize three key areas where Google is improving its sovereign data solutions.

Google Cloud Data Boundary gives customers the ability to deploy a sovereign data boundary and control where their content is stored and processed. This boundary also allows customers to store and manage their encryption keys outside Google’s infrastructure, which can help customers meet their specific data access and control requirements no matter what market.

Google Cloud Dedicated delivers a solution designed to meet local sovereignty requirements, enabled by independent local and regional partners. As an example, Google Cloud has partnered with Thales since 2021 to build a first-of-its-kind Trusted Cloud by S3NS for Europe.

This offering with Thales is designed to offer a rich set of Google Cloud services with GPUs to support AI workloads and is operated by S3NS, a standalone French entity. Currently in preview, S3NS’ solution is designed to meet the rigorous security and operational resilience requirements of France’s SecNumCloud standards. We are expanding our Google Cloud Dedicated footprint globally, launching next in Germany.

Google Cloud Air-Gapped offers a fully standalone and air-gapped solution that does not require connectivity to an external network. This solution is tailored for customers in the intelligence, defense, and other sectors with strict data security and residency requirements. The air-gapped solution can be deployed and operated by Google, the customer, or a Google partner.

It is built with open-source components and comes with a targeted set of AI, database, and infrastructure services. Because air-gapped solutions run on open-source components, they are designed to provide business continuity and survivability in the event of service disruptions. Google Cloud Air-Gapped received authorization in 2024 to host U.S. government Top Secret and Secret-level data.

Gallot emphasizes that the company’s sovereign cloud solutions still give organizations the benefit of Google’s industry-leading cloud security, but without potentially compromising their data.

“For France to truly embrace digital sovereignty, it is essential to have a cloud solution that marries the immense power of hyperscale technology with the strictest local security and operational controls. S3NS is committed to providing French organizations with access to advanced cloud services, including critical AI capabilities, all operated within France by a European operator to meet and exceed the rigorous SecNumCloud standards,” said Christophe Salomon, EVP, Information Systems and Secured Communication, at Thales.