TREND ONE:
Sovereign cloud infrastructure
As AI gains pace, organisations are creating, managing, and delivering more data than ever. However, around 60 per cent of the global cloud market is currently controlled by US-based hyperscalers, making businesses and governments vulnerable to extraterritorial laws like the US Cloud Act.
Cloud sovereignty is therefore a significant concern in Europe. In the UK, for example, the government is helping British companies to develop sustainable and secure compute technologies. In line with these concerns, new startups are emerging that are looking to reduce Europe’s reliance on US-based cloud infrastructure.
© top_images/Adobe Stock
© top_images/Adobe Stock
As AI gains pace, organisations are creating, managing, and delivering more data than ever. However, around 60 per cent of the global cloud market is currently controlled by US-based hyperscalers, making businesses and governments vulnerable to extraterritorial laws like the US Cloud Act.
Cloud sovereignty is therefore a significant concern in Europe. In the UK, for example, the government is helping British companies to develop sustainable and secure compute technologies. In line with these concerns, new startups are emerging that are looking to reduce Europe’s reliance on US-based cloud infrastructure.
INNOVATION ONE:
Local containers for a distributed, green cloud
Startup PoliCloud specialises in providing state-of-the-art distributed cloud infrastructure. The company’s operating model combines its own hardware and infrastructure with distributed storage and computing software from cloud provider Hivenet. This results in a localised cloud service, delivered from containerised data centres. PoliCloud’s system is deployable in 20-foot or 40-foot containers with up to 360 Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) per container, forming a scalable, distributed cloud grid.
There are numerous advantages this system offers over hyperscalers, according to PoliCloud. These include full infrastructure and data sovereignty, so clients know exactly where their data is stored and hold the only encryption keys; zero water usage; up to four times lower CO2 emissions than hyperscalers; and integration with local renewable energy. Clients can also resell idle compute resources back to the PoliCloud Grid via Hivenet, generating passive revenue.
Because PoliCloud designs, builds, and operates its own computers and micro-data centres, it can provide high-performance storage and computing at a lower cost than the US-based hyperscale providers that currently dominate the market. As such, it could also help meet the digital sovereignty requirements of enterprises, public administrations, and local businesses.
It can provide high-performance storage and computing at a lower cost than the US-based hyperscale providers that currently dominate the market.”
© AnusomAdobe Stock
Nishka Hemrajh, PoliCloud Chief of Staff, told Springwise that the company is inspired by “a profound mission: to reshape the future of cloud infrastructure in Europe through sovereignty, sustainability, and decentralisation (…) At the core of this vision is the belief that digital infrastructure should reflect the values of the society it serves – including transparency, energy efficiency, data sovereignty, and equitable access.”
PoliCloud was launched in February 2025 at the World Artificial Intelligence Cannes Festival, with support from the five cities of the Alpes-Maritimes. The company has already sold four PoliClouds and, having recently raised €7.5 million in a funding round led by VC firm Global Ventures, PoliCloud is looking to accelerate deployment across Europe and efficiently scale its sovereign cloud grid.
INNOVATION DATA:
Country: France
Development stage: Scaling
Funding stage: Seed
Contact: sales@policloud.com
TAKEAWAYS:
- PoliCloud has developed a localised cloud service, delivered from containerised data centres
- The system is deployable in 20-foot or 40-foot containers with up to 360 Graphics Processing Units
- This approach has benefits related to data sovereignty, water intensity, and renewable energy usage
INNOVATION TWO:
Building a secure European cloud
With political volatility increasing and AI adoption driving fresh urgency around data control, European calls for homegrown data infrastructure are growing louder. One startup is responding with a bold proposition: to build a fully European hyperscale cloud platform from scratch.
Launched in 2023, Sweden’s evroc is developing a secure, sovereign, and sustainable cloud network designed to meet Europe’s growing AI and data infrastructure needs. The company is setting out to build eight hyperscale data centres by 2028. Two of these facilities are already operating in Paris and Stockholm, with additional sites under construction in Frankfurt, with plans underway for flagship centres in France and Sweden, tailored specifically for high-density AI computing.
What sets evroc’s project apart is its end-to-end ambition. Rather than focusing narrowly on AI compute or storage, evroc aims to deliver a developer-ready hyperscale platform comparable to the offerings of AWS or Microsoft Azure, but based entirely in Europe, operated by Europeans, and designed around EU compliance.
Sovereignty means more than where servers sit – it’s about who owns and operates them.”
© Thanaseth/Adobe Stock
With liquid cooling, custom server racks optimised for AI, and a software stack under in-house development, the company is building not just infrastructure, but independence. As the evroc team highlights, sovereignty means more than where servers sit – it’s about who owns and operates them.
Currently in pre-launch phase, evroc is already onboarding beta users from high-security sectors like defence, healthcare, and finance. It recently closed a €50.6 million series A round with backing from Blisce, EQT Ventures, Norrsken VC, and Giant Ventures, building on a prior €42 million raise and a €13 million seed round. A much larger capital raise is planned later this year to support further build-out.
While most of Europe’s existing data infrastructure is fragmented or reliant on external software stacks, evroc’s goal is to close that gap. In doing so, it joins a growing movement to turn Europe from a cloud customer into a cloud creator.
INNOVATION DATA:
Country: Sweden
Development stage: Scaling
Funding stage: Venture (A-B)
Contact: info@evroc.com
TAKEAWAYS:
- evroc hopes to build a fully European hyperscale cloud platform from scratch
- The company is setting out to build eight hyperscale data centres by 2028
- Liquid cooling, custom server racks optimised for AI, and a software stack under in-house development are all features of the startup’s platform