Cloud sovereignty is starting to be measured with something more concrete than just a marketing promise. The comparison.cloud platform, powered by TIMETOACT GROUP, has incorporated an assessment based on the European Commission’s Cloud Sovereignty Framework and places OVHcloud in the top position among nine providers analyzed, with a score of 8.6 out of 10 according to the latest update shared by the platform itself.
This move comes at a particularly sensitive time for the European cloud market. In April, the European Commission awarded a contract of up to €180 million for sovereign cloud services over six years, aiming for EU institutions, agencies, and bodies to procure services aligned with their digital sovereignty criteria. Among the awardees is a consortium led by Post Telecom, along with Clever Cloud and OVHcloud, as well as STACKIT, Scaleway, and Proximus with S3NS, Clarence, and Mistral.
From sovereignty discourse to a comparable score
comparison.cloud was created as a platform to compare major hyperscalers like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud with European providers, focusing on services, pricing models, sovereignty features, and compliance. TIMETOACT GROUP presents it as a tool for IT decision-makers seeking greater transparency in cloud strategy decisions, budgets, and provider selection.
The new feature is the inclusion of a SEAL assessment for nine providers: AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, OVHcloud, STACKIT, IONOS, Scaleway, T Cloud Public, and SysEleven. According to the publication shared by comparison.cloud, the platform has applied the eight sovereignty objectives defined by the European Commission, covering strategic and legal control, supply chain, security, technological openness, and sustainability.
The Brussels Cloud Sovereignty Framework introduces two complementary ways to measure sovereignty: a SEAL level, to verify if a provider reaches certain thresholds of sovereignty and resilience, and an overall score based on 48 criteria grouped into eight categories. The Commission summarizes them as strategic sovereignty, legal and jurisdictional sovereignty, data and AI, operations, supply chain, technology, security and compliance, and environmental sustainability.
The significance of this framework lies in its ability to shift from broad labels such as “European cloud” or “sovereign cloud” to more verifiable criteria. It doesn’t eliminate the debate but requires concrete answers: who controls the company, under which jurisdiction operates, what dependencies exist on non-European third parties, how the supply chain is managed, what certifications have been obtained, and what level of control the client has.
Why does OVHcloud rank at the top?
The score assigned to OVHcloud aligns with several elements that have been part of its positioning for years. It is a European provider, based in France and listed in Paris, which reduces direct exposure to extraterritorial U.S. legislation frameworks like CLOUD Act or FISA 702. In legal and strategic categories, this point weighs heavily when evaluating sovereignty.
Another differential factor is the supply chain. OVHcloud stands out for its more integrated industrial model compared to other providers: it manufactures its own servers in two plants and combines this design with proprietary liquid cooling technology. The company has historically championed this approach as part of its technical control, efficiency, and operational resilience.
That detail is not trivial. In sovereign cloud, where data is hosted matters, but it’s not enough. Equally important is who controls the hardware, who operates the platform, what external dependencies exist, and the provider’s ability to continue functioning if the geopolitical scenario shifts or the supply chain is stressed.
In security and compliance, OVHcloud holds qualified SecNumCloud solutions from the French agency ANSSI, along with certifications and frameworks such as ISO 27001, C5 in Germany, ENS in Spain, AGID in Italy, and HDS for health data hosting, according to the provider’s corporate information.
Sustainability also helps explain its position. OVHcloud has long advocated a model based on hardware reuse, recycled data centers, and liquid cooling. The company claims that its factories and vertical integration form part of a circular economy strategy, with servers dismantled after use to reuse components whenever possible.
Hyperscalers fare worse in sovereignty
The update from comparison.cloud presents a discomforting view for large U.S. hyperscalers. According to the platform’s published preview, AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud would score below 4.5 out of 10 in the SEAL assessment applied by TIMETOACT GROUP.
This doesn’t mean their services are technically inferior nor that they cannot meet demanding security, availability, or scale requirements. They still dominate much of the market due to their broad catalogs, mature managed services, global networks, and integration with enterprise ecosystems. But when the central criterion is European sovereignty, the outcome changes.
The European Commission has also avoided a purist interpretation. The €180 million contract includes a consortium led by Proximus working with S3NS, a joint venture of Thales and Google Cloud, as well as Clarence and Mistral. Brussels advocates an approach where certain non-European technologies can be suitable if operated within a strict control and guarantee framework.
This nuance is key for companies and administrations. Sovereignty is not simply choosing a European or American provider. There are levels: data sovereignty, operational sovereignty, legal sovereignty, key control, residency, portability, isolation, supply chain transparency, and recovery capacity. The value of tools like comparison.cloud lies in putting these differences into a comparable table.
The BattleCards feature, also introduced by the platform, enhances this practical utility: comparing providers across services, data centers, costs, sovereignty, and SEAL scores. For IT teams, procurement, or compliance officers, this type of comparison can serve as a starting point before issuing RFPs, migrating, or executing a multicloud strategy.
The conclusion is not that OVHcloud is automatically the best choice for every workload. The reality is that, if measurable European sovereignty is a priority, some providers have structural advantages that hyperscalers cannot replicate simply through local regions or contractual promises. By 2026, cloud comparison will no longer be solely about price, number of services, or performance—it will also hinge on control.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is SEAL in cloud sovereignty?
SEAL is the sovereignty assurance level defined within the European Commission’s Cloud Sovereignty Framework. It assesses whether a provider meets certain thresholds of sovereignty, resilience, and control.
Why does OVHcloud rank highly?
Because of its European governance, reduced exposure to extraterritorial laws of third countries, in-house server manufacturing, security certifications, and sustainability strategy.
Does this mean AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud are unsafe?
No. It means that, under European sovereignty criteria, they might score lower due to jurisdiction, technological control, supply chain, or reliance on non-European entities, even though they remain very strong providers in catalog size, scale, and technical maturity.
