AWS launches independent sovereign cloud to completely sever U.S. data ties

€7.8 billion investment unlocks physically separate infrastructure managed exclusively by EU residents.

In a major concession to European regulators and privacy advocates, Amazon Web Services (AWS) officially launched the AWS European Sovereign Cloud last week. The new platform is not merely a new "region," but a physically and logically independent cloud environment located entirely within the European Union, designed to operate without any critical dependencies on infrastructure or personnel outside of the EU.

The launch addresses years of tension surrounding the U.S. CLOUD Act, which theoretically allows American authorities to subpoena data held by U.S. companies abroad - a legal "umbilical cord" that this new service aims to cut.

A "clean break" architecture

Unlike standard AWS regions, the European Sovereign Cloud is built as a distinct "partition," meaning it does not share a backbone with the global AWS network. The first region is live in Brandenburg, Germany, featuring multiple Availability Zones.

AWS announced plans to immediately extend this footprint to Belgium, the Netherlands, and Portugal through "Sovereign Local Zones."

The cloud includes its own dedicated systems for Identity and Access Management (IAM), billing, and metering. Even the "metadata" (resource labels and configurations) remains permanently within EU borders.

Operational independence

In what AWS calls "extreme circumstances," the cloud can continue to function indefinitely even if all connectivity to the outside world is severed.

By Europeans for Europeans

To satisfy strict digital sovereignty requirements, AWS has restructured its management and legal framework for this specific service.

Every aspect of day-to-day operations, from data center access to technical support, is handled exclusively by EU residents. AWS stated it is gradually transitioning this requirement to be restricted to EU citizens only.

Additionally, the infrastructure is managed by a newly formed parent company and three subsidiaries incorporated under German law, shielding operations from non-EU jurisdictions.

Oversight is provided by a board composed exclusively of European citizens, including two independent third-party representatives to ensure accountability.

"No compromise" on innovation

A common criticism of previous "sovereign" attempts was a lack of features. AWS is launching this cloud with over 90 services available on Day 1, including:

• Generative AI: Access to Amazon Bedrock and Amazon Q for training models on sensitive European datasets.

• Core compute: Full versions of EC2, S3, and RDS powered by the Nitro System, which uses hardware-based isolation to prevent even AWS administrators from seeing customer data.

• The skeptics: "Is it sovereign enough?"

Despite the massive €7.8 billion investment, some critics remain wary. European cloud providers have pointed out that while the operations are local, the profits and ultimate ownership still flow to a U.S. parent company. "The CLOUD Act remains a concern as long as the ultimate control lies with a U.S.-based entity," noted one Austrian cloud CEO.