Airbus will transfer around 70 critical applications from Amazon Web Services (AWS) to Scaleway’s infrastructure by the end of 2028. The European aerospace manufacturer aims to keep systems related to aircraft design, engineering, industrial production, and corporate management under European jurisdiction, although the agreement does not represent a complete break with U.S. providers.
The key points of the Airbus and Scaleway agreement in 20 seconds
- Airbus will initially migrate about 70 critical applications hosted on AWS.
- The program could expand to nearly 900 applications over the next five or six years.
- Scaleway was selected after evaluating more than 150 technical and legal requirements.
- Protection against extraterritorial laws influenced the decision.
- Airbus will retain other services on U.S.-based clouds.
The contract signifies one of the most visible steps toward European sovereign cloud initiatives. Scaleway, a French company belonging to the Iliad group, will provide infrastructure for a portion of the systems Airbus considers essential for maintaining its critical operations.
The aerospace company describes this set as applications necessary for operating as a “minimum viable company.” These are not just administrative tools—they include enterprise resource planning (ERP) platforms, customer management, product lifecycle, manufacturing, engineering, and data handling related to aircraft.
The first phase will affect about 70 applications currently deployed on AWS. The overall program may eventually encompass close to 900 systems over the next five or six years, though expansion will depend on project development and Airbus’s decisions regarding each workload.
Legal sovereignty weighs as much as technology
Airbus reviewed over 150 requirements before selecting Scaleway. The assessment covered platform technical capabilities, operational resilience, scalability, and legal assurances against third-country regulations.
Catherine Jestin, Airbus’s Digital Director, explained that one criterion was protecting critical assets from extraterritorial laws and from decisions made outside Europe that could disrupt access to certain services.
The debate mainly revolves around U.S. legislation, particularly the CLOUD Act. This law allows U.S. authorities to request certain data under their control from companies under U.S. jurisdiction, even if stored in data centers located elsewhere.
This does not mean the U.S. government can freely access all data stored by AWS, Microsoft, or Google. Such requests are subject to legal procedures and can be challenged. However, for a company working with aerospace intellectual property, military systems, and sensitive industrial data, exposure to non-European jurisdiction represents a risk that needs evaluation.
Physical location alone does not resolve the issue. A workload hosted in France or Germany can still be subject to certain U.S. obligations if the provider is a U.S.-based company.
Airbus has chosen to reduce this dependency, especially for highly sensitive applications, by opting for a European provider with infrastructure, operations, and legal control within the region.
Scaleway gains a reference contract for European cloud
Scaleway is one of Europe’s leading cloud infrastructure and AI service providers. It operates data centers across Europe and is part of Iliad, the French telecommunications group founded by Xavier Niel.
The company will connect its platform with the multi-cloud environment Airbus already uses. The project is not a full replacement of existing architecture but rather an addition of a European layer for workloads where sovereignty, confidentiality, or operational continuity are especially critical.
For Scaleway, this contract is a significant commercial milestone. European providers typically compete with AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud in a market where U.S. hyperscalers have broader catalogs, larger economies of scale, and global presence that is hard to match.
Airbus states that the French offer provided an adequate technical solution at a competitive price compared to these major players. However, the company has not publicly disclosed the value of the deal. Some reports suggest it exceeds 50 million euros over a period of up to ten years, but this figure has not been officially confirmed by either company and was not announced by Airbus to Reuters. Therefore, it should be regarded as an estimated figure, not a confirmed contractual amount.
A move also related to artificial intelligence
The choice of Scaleway has another dimension: its connection with Mistral AI.
In May, Airbus announced a collaboration with the French AI company to develop tools tailored for the aerospace and defense sectors. Scaleway already hosts infrastructure running Mistral models, which could facilitate their integration into Airbus’s systems.
Airbus plans to apply these technologies in engineering, manufacturing, and corporate operations, and is also exploring their use in certified aerospace systems and military applications—areas demanding strict control over intellectual property, research data, and model operation.
Hosting both applications and certain AI workloads within a European infrastructure reduces some data transfer and dependency issues. However, it does not eliminate the need for model auditing, access control, or future migration planning.
Digital sovereignty is not only about the provider’s nationality; it also requires portability, open formats, recovery capabilities, encryption key management, and real alternatives in case of technical or commercial disruptions.
Airbus does not abandon AWS or U.S. software
The agreement should not be seen as a complete retreat from AWS.
The manufacturer will continue using Amazon’s Skywise, its data platform for the aviation industry, along with other tools supporting customers. It will also keep employing products and services from Microsoft, Google, Salesforce, Workday, Coupa, and other non-European providers.
Airbus has emphasized that it does not intend to eliminate all foreign solutions. Its approach is to select the platform based on system criticality and data sensitivity.
This strategy aligns more with a segmented multi-cloud approach than a total migration. General applications might still run on global platforms, while systems involving intellectual property, defense, or industrial continuity could shift to environments with stronger jurisdictional guarantees.
It also avoids framing sovereignty as a binary choice. Large organizations have thousands of applications, integrations, and databases accumulated over years. Moving them involves revisiting dependencies, adapting managed services, transferring data, testing, and planning rollback options.
A warning to U.S. hyperscalers
AWS, Microsoft, and Google have responded to European sovereignty interest with new offerings promising greater operational isolation, data residency, and local control.
AWS is developing its European Sovereign Cloud, while Microsoft and Google offer various sovereign configurations and partnerships with European operators. These initiatives aim to preserve platform capabilities without forcing the most sensitive clients to relinquish regional control requirements.
However, Airbus’s contract demonstrates that for some organizations, these measures are insufficient. When concerns involve the provider’s nationality and potential extraterritorial laws, a European region run by a U.S. company may not fully meet the security and sovereignty criteria.
The decision also does not mean Europe has resolved its cloud dependency. Regional providers still need to expand capacity, managed services, migration tools, and international presence to compete in large-scale projects.
Nevertheless, it confirms that sovereignty is no longer just a political issue; it now influences real procurement decisions, load distribution, and technology contracts among major industrial groups.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many applications will Airbus move to Scaleway?
The initial phase covers about 70 critical applications by late 2028. The program might expand to approximately 900 applications over the next five or six years.
Will Airbus completely leave AWS?
No. Airbus will retain certain platforms and services on AWS, including Skywise. The migration focuses on applications deemed especially critical or sensitive.
What is the value of the Airbus-Scaleway contract?
Airbus has not publicly disclosed the total amount. Some sources cite over €50 million over up to ten years, but this has not been confirmed by either company.
Why does the CLOUD Act matter in this decision?
Because it allows U.S. authorities to legally request certain data under U.S. control, even if stored outside the U.S. Airbus aims to minimize this exposure for its most sensitive systems.
via: LinkedIN
