As Europe's economy and public services become increasingly digital, the technologies that store, process and move data have become strategic assets. Cloud computing now underpins everything from business operations and scientific research to artificial intelligence and public administration.
This growing dependence on digital infrastructure has brought renewed attention to a key objective of the European Union: technological sovereignty. Defined by the European Commission as Europe's ability to act independently in the digital world by developing and controlling key technologies, data and infrastructure, technological sovereignty aims to strengthen Europe's competitiveness, resilience and strategic autonomy.
The challenge is considerable. According to the Draghi Report on EU competitiveness, the EU currently relies on non-EU countries for more than 80% of key digital products, services, infrastructure and intellectual property. In the cloud sector, many of the services and technologies that power Europe’s digital economy are developed and operated outside the European Union.
To address these dependencies, the European Commission adopted the Tech Sovereignty Package in June 2026. Among its key initiatives is the proposed Cloud and AI Development Act (CADA), which seeks to strengthen Europe's cloud and AI ecosystem by supporting innovation, expanding digital infrastructure capacity and establishing a common framework for cloud and AI sovereignty.
Cloud computing is central to this ambition. By providing on-demand access to computing power, storage and software services, cloud technologies have become a foundational layer of the digital economy. Ensuring that these services are secure, resilient and aligned with European values is increasingly important for Europe's long-term competitiveness and digital autonomy.
While policy frameworks provide the direction, achieving cloud sovereignty also requires innovation on the ground. Across Europe, EU-funded projects are developing the technologies that can transform strategic ambitions into practical solutions. Among them, two Horizon Europe projects managed by HaDEA, RISER and OpenCUBE, are helping to build the foundations of a more sovereign European cloud ecosystem.
RISER: building Europe's first RISC-V cloud infrastructure
The RISER project (RISC-V for Cloud Services) is developing what it describes as the first all-European RISC-V cloud server infrastructure, designed to strengthen Europe's open strategic autonomy while reducing dependence on non-European technologies. Bringing together partners from industry and academia, the project is creating open-source hardware and software solutions specifically tailored for cloud services.
At the heart of RISER is the development of two cloud-focused platforms: an accelerator platform and a microserver platform built around European technologies and open standards. These platforms combine advanced hardware, system software and cloud services into a fully integrated architecture capable of supporting next-generation cloud applications.
One of the project's distinguishing features is its use of RISC-V, an open-source processor architecture that gives developers greater transparency and control over the underlying technology stack. By leveraging European-designed components and open hardware interfaces, RISER aims to demonstrate that high-performance cloud infrastructures can be developed within Europe while remaining energy efficient and scalable.
The project's work is particularly relevant as demand for cloud services continues to grow. Data centres already account for a significant share of global electricity consumption, making energy efficiency a critical challenge for future cloud infrastructures. RISER addresses this challenge through an architecture designed to combine performance with lower energy consumption, supporting both sustainability and technological sovereignty objectives.
RISER validates its innovations through real-world use cases that demonstrate how European cloud infrastructures can support demanding applications across multiple sectors. These include cloud-native services, networked storage systems and advanced computing workloads that require secure, reliable and efficient processing capabilities. By testing its technologies in operational environments, the project aims to accelerate the adoption of European alternatives in cloud computing.
Beyond its immediate technological outcomes, RISER is helping to establish the building blocks for a broader European cloud ecosystem. Its open-source approach and focus on European-developed technologies contribute to reducing strategic dependencies while fostering innovation across the continent.
OpenCUBE: creating a European cloud platform from processor to application
If RISER focuses on the infrastructure layer, OpenCUBE addresses another critical aspect of cloud sovereignty: creating a complete European cloud platform capable of supporting real-world applications.
The OpenCUBE project aims to deliver the first deployment-ready cloud platform built on processors developed in Europe. Working in synergy with the European Processor Initiative (EPI), the project is developing a full software stack that spans operating systems, cloud orchestration, monitoring tools and programming environments. The goal is to create a cloud platform that combines performance, energy efficiency and ease of use while relying on European technologies.
To demonstrate its capabilities, OpenCUBE has established a pilot infrastructure based on European hardware. The pilot system serves as a testing environment where researchers and developers can validate the project's technologies under realistic operating conditions before wider deployment.
What makes OpenCUBE particularly relevant for cloud sovereignty is its focus on the entire cloud ecosystem. Rather than developing isolated components, the project is creating an integrated platform that allows organisations to run cloud-native applications and advanced computing workloads on European infrastructure.
The project's use cases illustrate the breadth of potential applications. OpenCUBE is exploring how cloud technologies can support high-performance computing (HPC), bringing cloud concepts such as elasticity and reliability to traditionally specialised computing environments. It is also investigating new approaches to memory management and workflow orchestration that can improve the efficiency of future data centres.
Several pilot applications showcase the practical value of these innovations. Among them are weather forecasting systems, machine-learning workflows for space weather analysis and molecular docking applications used in drug discovery. These examples demonstrate how European cloud technologies can support critical scientific and industrial workloads while maintaining performance and scalability.
Like RISER, OpenCUBE embraces open-source principles and interoperability. By developing a European cloud blueprint that future users can adopt and build on, the project contributes to a more competitive and resilient cloud ecosystem while helping to strengthen Europe's technological independence.
Turning ambition into capability
Europe's vision for technological sovereignty extends beyond policy and regulation. It requires the development of concrete technologies, infrastructures and services capable of supporting the continent's digital future.
RISER and OpenCUBE demonstrate how EU-funded research and innovation can contribute to that objective. While RISER focuses on building sovereign cloud infrastructure based on open European technologies, OpenCUBE is creating the software platforms and operational environments needed to put that infrastructure to work.
Together, the two projects illustrate how Europe is investing across the entire cloud value chain, from processors and servers to cloud platforms and real-world applications. By helping to reduce strategic dependencies, strengthen resilience and foster innovation, they are contributing to a cloud ecosystem that is more competitive and more aligned with Europe's long-term digital ambitions.