April 23 (Reuters) - France has chosen domestic cloud provider Scaleway, a subsidiary of Iliad, to host the country's Health Data Hub, replacing Microsoft Azure in a long-contested arrangement,
France swaps Microsoft for Iliad's Scaleway to repatriate health data hub
France's Shift Towards Cloud Sovereignty and Data Security
By Leo Marchandon
April 23 (Reuters) - France has chosen domestic cloud provider Scaleway, a subsidiary of Iliad, to host the country's Health Data Hub, replacing Microsoft Azure in a long-contested arrangement, Scaleway said on Thursday.
European Cloud Sovereignty Initiatives
The decision fits into a broader shift as Europe seeks cloud sovereignty independent of U.S.-based Big Tech.
Other European Countries' Moves
In Germany, the state of Schleswig-Holstein is migrating 30,000 government workstations away from Microsoft products, while Denmark's digital affairs ministry is switching to open-source LibreOffice following similar moves by the cities Copenhagen and Aarhus.
Scaleway's Growing Role in Europe
The contract also adds to the French cloud provider's momentum in Europe. Earlier in April, the European Commission awarded a 180 million euro ($210 million) cloud tender to Scaleway, Post Telecom, OVHcloud and STACKIT.
Health Data Hub: Security and Compliance
Technical Evaluation and Responsibilities
Scaleway, evaluated against more than 350 technical criteria, will be responsible for securing health records covering tens of millions of French citizens. The new platform is set to be operational between late 2026 and early 2027.
Background: Microsoft Azure and Legal Scrutiny
The French government in 2019 chose Microsoft Azure to host health data without a competitive tender, drawing sustained legal and political scrutiny.
Data Privacy and Legal Concerns
France's data watchdog refused to greenlight a permanent transfer of the full dataset, citing risks linked to the extraterritoriality of U.S. laws.
France's national cybersecurity agency later established its SecNumCloud certification framework imposing stringent requirements for critical data, notably ruling that access to the data could not be gained by means of non-European legislation, de facto excluding U.S. providers and their European subsidiaries.
A follow-up law passed in 2024 mandates that sensitive data be hosted on sovereign-guaranteed infrastructure.
Microsoft's Admission Before French Senate
Last year, under oath before the French Senate inquiry commission, Microsoft's legal director admitted the company could not oppose a U.S. injunction targeting French citizens' data, even if it was hosted in France.
Additional Information
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(Reporting by Leo Marchandon in Gdansk, editing by Milla Nissi-Prussak)
