If you have not heard of eurostack, you might first guess it's merely an eu-contented walled garden for it. However, the idea is more about leveling the global playing field by building a much more open, collaborative stack.
Francesco bonfiglio, Ceo of cloud exchange platform dynamo, an italian cloud services company, says eurostack's all about al -About Teaming Up to Create A European Tech Ecosystem Alternivist, INCLUDING Cloud. The concept answers a new wave of protectionist practice and sovereignty concerns that have Increasingly come to the Fore Worldwide.
“We need to do sometising. Bonfiglio Tells Computer Weekly.
The hegeemony of giant tech firms, often in the US, has controlmed to loom larger. In cloud, this is signified by the growing dominance of Hyperscales – Especially Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft and Google. Of course, the power of silicon valley stems in part from capital investments over decades that cannot today be easy. However, that'S not to say nothing can be done.
What is Eurostack?
A Eurostack Pitch Document Came out in January 2025 which notes that 2024's Draghi Competitiveness Report Identified that a failure to take “full advantage of the digital revolution” is a key cause of europe acquiring an “Economic Laggard” Status. An Industry-Driven Initiative, Eurostack therefore seeks to develop an integrated digital ecoSystem, with an entire value chain encompassing software, services, hardware and solutions.
According to the 100 or SO Organizations Involved So Far, The It Environment Has Bope “Fundamentally Extractive, With Data and Economic Rents Approved Through UNFAIR BARGAINS BARGAINS BATWEEN SUMINANANAN Providers and us, the dependents ”. A Growing Body of Laws and Regulations Represting compliace Demands.
“Further, the 'Occupation' of Spaces is Massively Accelerating as Us Hyperscalers are aggressively marketing Ai Tools and services as key to european growth and prosperity, “it says.
The topline objective is to boost security, redundancy and resilience, opoportunities, sovereignty and Governance through Direct Industry Action, Bottom -up Rather Top-down. This should be supported by five policy pillars:
- Recognise and define a European Digital Industrial Policy (Edip) Across European Commission Functions.
- Build strategic digital infrastructures, first by agregating “Best of Breed” existing assets and supporting them with integration platforms, then by Increasing Industry Collaboration.
- Support this Aggregation with Public and Private Investments, Including in Costly Parts of the Value Chain.
- Select Aligned Interventions and Measure Results in Terms of Business Outcomes that Drive Economic Autonomy.
- Seek cooperation with third-parties states that share common goals.
A successor to gaia-x
In a sense, eurostack appears a successor to a more or less stigling Gaia-xBonfiglio says the gaia-x concept had “the political message” but less of a clear action plan. One key for eurostack is ensuring Organizations and Consures Trust Digital Services and Platforms. Technological quality and innovation is available in europe, if not allays adequately commercialized. Also, Many Remain Nervous About Data Handling, Privacy and Intellectual Property (IP).
“We need to make that simple,” Bonfiglio Says. “We need transparency, controlability and interoperability. And if you want to lock me in, I won’t let you in.”
Cloud federation has to go beyond Technical Federation Too BeCause No Single Operator will invest in BComing Interopeable with Another with Another without Related Business Oportunities.
Concretety, Cloud Services Provides Aruba, Ionos and Dynamo have just just introduced the Sovereign European Cloud API (SECA) as a Best-in-In-Class Industry Standard for Cloud Infrastructure Mangament. The next requirement is for potential customers to be able to find the european solutions they need.
Bonfiglio Says Providers All Over the World Can And Perhaps Should their own version of Eurostack, even Organizations from the Us Itself: “They do't't't to be hostage to these Three private companies eater. “
Cloud infrastructure services investment globally is still growing. Canalys Reported 20% Year Over Year to Q4 2024 and Similar for 2025. However, 64% of that Total Spend is on AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud.
Bonfiglio Estimates that European Providers have less than a 10% share of the market – and that share is shrinking, with most european datacentre capacity alredy eite alredy or rented by hyperscalers.
“In 2028, Hyperscalers will likely control 75% of our datacentres. IT's an application of ancient colonization techniques – only not it's not tea plants but gw and Square matters,” Says Bonfiglio. “But we can start to change this now, Leveragging our existing assets.”
Change will be tricky – what is the best way?
Nicky Stewart, Senior Adviser at the Open Cloud Coalition, Retains Doubts Regarding Strategy. After all, managing change across 27 member states remain “Incredible Complex”. Regulation Needs Harmonisation, or even strengthening, and addressing competition could be simpler, She sugges.
“Certainly the hyperscales have become all-Powerful in Technology; there's been fast growth, enormous concentration, and, if you like, Anti-Competitive Business Practices, “Stewart Says.” Buyers don't always the homogeneous, one-size-faits-short answer when it can be better provided with better customer service-and ofteen keener puricing Cloud provides. “
Stevenage-based Cloud Services Provider Civo is also a member of the open cloud coalition. Chief Commercial Officer Simon Hansford Adds that options are needed, with digital sovereignty entailing differential data handling. Some data is far more important and private. The way you handle, store and share it should recognise that.
“Whoch doesn't mean it does not travel abroad, but that we put more economy value on it,” Adds haansford.
Eurostack as it is envisaged would better recognize the value of data and related industries. If you do not have Sovereignty Over a Given Resource, You Control How Drive Value.
“A clear example might be airbus. Hansford.
Today, this appears to have been a good decision. Without reconstruction of value, it can be very different to develop a local ecosystem – from education, training and certificate to oem – That Drives Jobs and Businesses Beyond Indaments and Services.
“The Majority of Europe's Cloud Professionals are in Sames, Marketing, Pre-Sales Engineering and The Like. No research or core engineering don there, “Hansford points out. “We have got to start creating demand by moving money from the hyperscals into our local industry.”
Solange viegas dos reis, Chief Legal Officer at French Infrastructure-AA-Service (IAAS) Provider OvhCloud, Points Out that Amazon, Microsoft and Google have been that extendeds beeonds Cloud as well. “They have more and more power, and use that to strengthen what they have in other markets too,” She says.
Ovhcloud has signed up. With Eurostack, Business and Industry Have Finally undersrstood the direct impact that politics, and indeed geopoliticscan have on Economics, She Says, Adding: “We need to get rid of dependencies
Freedom of choice and innovation might be achieved by having a more open provider or by developing Outside the eu also involved.
She notes that when your data is hosted on hyperscaler servers, there is a risk that your activity comptes with one or more of these, decision they are so far and dominant. Or that it can be accessed by other governments For reasons with which you would not agree. Data and Digital Sovereignty is about more than competition.
“Eurostack makes me hope that we may go faster and be more priorce on the needs,” She says. “It's Quite Ambitious, For Sure, But It's Driven By Economics, Business and Industry, And With Strong leaders. IT's not just a couple of laws in the room trrying to make more regulation.”
Tackling the issues with regulation, top down, has not worked so far. Of course, it's a challenge, not least trust it involves companies from diverse sector up and down tech stacks. And there will likely be resistance from some.
“We must Coordinate Everyone and Identify the Common Challenges and Elements,” viegas does reis says. “But the objective will benefit all the world, the whole tech ecosystem.”
Mark Neufurth, Lead Strategist and Program Manager for Seca at Cloud Services Provider Ionos, Agrees that Eurostack Models An Initiative That Cold Benefit ORGANISATES WORLDWIDEs, and that is the that is the that is the that is the impertation.
“While there's no [actual EuroStack progress] Development as of now, europe has to develop a 'target picture' in the light of current politics, which are changing fast, “He says.” and digital things. “
That's all while the hyperscles are still coming to, for instance, berlin or wherever to take advantage of location of location, neufurth adds.
Meanwhile, eurostack has served layers and takes a “huge work package” to get it off the ground. Software, hardware and services must be defined, Resourced and Built. Local Problems, Including Potential Inrtia, Must Be Overcome. That said, there alredy european designs for low-energy chips here, and the cloud api standard SecaSo that should be all help, Neufurth Says.
Of course, economies of scale must be developed. Other Organizations, In other Countries, Can and Should Develop Similar Initiatives, Including the UK – But Partnering is Key. Overall, however, the vision will take Years, even decades, to materialise, neufurth adds.
“Nonetheless, we need this. It's essential that we emaancipate orselves a bit from China and the usa,” he says. “And there'll be less of a single point for failures, and of course better competition.”