EMEA’s cloud sovereignty puzzle takes shape

EMEA’s cloud sovereignty puzzle takes shape More like this Blog post Blog post Blog post Keep exploring Browse by channel Automation Artificial intelligence Open hybrid cloud Security Edge computing Infrastructure Applications Virtualization Share Digital sovereignty is not a new topic, but recent events on the world stage have catapulted it to the top of the top of boardroom agendas and government priorities alike. According to a 2025 BARC study , 84% of surveyed companies view data sovereignty as a central point of their strategy, and 70 percent report significantly increased relevance in the past one to two years. Meanwhile, industry analyst firm Gartner forecasts the sovereign cloud IaaS market will be worth $169 billion in 2028 , up from $37 billion last year. Different countries and organisations are adopting different approaches to digital and cloud sovereignty, some are cautiously waiting and watching to see how things shake out, others are acting fast. While there remains a certain degree of uncertainty over exactly what digital and cloud sovereignty looks like, most industry watchers agree that it will be ‘need to have’ rather than ‘nice to have. ’ For a broader perspective on digital sovereignty, we caught up with Red Hat country and regional leaders across Europe to test the waters in local markets. Gregor von Jagow, Country Manager, Germany: “We’re seeing demand across all sectors. ” Germany has long prioritized digital sovereignty, partly due to the cautious nature of its businesses. With geopolitical tensions and market consolidation, local cloud providers play a vital role. We partner with local players like IONOS and StackIT (a subsidiary of Schwarz Group) that are driving the sovereignty conversation in Germany. These providers are often best positioned to deliver the level of control and adherence to local regulations that truly define sovereign cloud solutions for customers. We’re seeing demand across all sectors, not just government.