OVHcloud, OpenNebula launch certified sovereign EU cloud

OVHcloud and OpenNebula Systems have entered into a partnership to integrate OpenNebula-based sovereign cloud instances into OVHcloud's European infrastructure. The collaboration operates under a certification scheme linked to the IPCEI-CIS programme.

The companies confirmed that OVHcloud now provides OpenNebula across multiple European sites. The offering is specifically designed for organisations seeking privately hosted cloud environments that prioritise EU jurisdiction and robust data control.

OpenNebula Systems develops OpenNebula, an open-source cloud and edge computing platform. OVHcloud operates data centres and sells cloud services in Europe and other regions. Under the collaboration, OVHcloud joins the Hosted OpenNebula Cloud - Ready Certification Programme.

Certified instances

The companies described the service as OpenNebula-based sovereign cloud instances on certified European infrastructure. They said the deployments support federation between OpenNebula environments. They said customers can integrate the service with private or hosted clouds.

The announcement links the partnership to the IPCEI-CIS initiative. The release referred to a €3 billion initiative. IPCEI-CIS is a European programme focused on cloud and related digital infrastructure. The companies also referenced the IPCEI-CIS Reference Architecture and said the OpenNebula instances comply with it.

The companies said the OVHcloud offering also targets research and development, testing, and interoperability initiatives in European regions. They said the deployments fit hybrid and multi-cloud architectures. They also said the model supports distributed, multi-provider architectures across research, public sector, and enterprise use cases.

Operational model

OVHcloud said customers can deploy OpenNebula on bare-metal servers. The company said it offers automated provisioning, reference architectures, and self-service options. It also said its platform supports workloads across private, hybrid, and edge environments.

OpenNebula said the partnership forms part of its Hosted OpenNebula Cloud - Ready Certification Programme. It framed the certification as a way to extend the number of providers offering OpenNebula-based services in Europe. OVHcloud said it operates more than 500,000 servers across 46 data centres on four continents. It said it serves 1.6 million customers in more than 140 countries.

In its description of the offer, the companies stressed governance and procurement concerns that many European organisations have raised around cloud services. They said instances operate under EU jurisdiction. They also said customers get data control and transparency. They said European open source reduces vendor lock-in.

European focus

The announcement lands as European policymakers and large organisations continue to scrutinise dependency on a small number of global hyperscalers. European initiatives have increasingly linked cloud infrastructure to industrial policy, public sector procurement, and security requirements. The companies framed their work within that context and pointed to federation and interoperability as features of the approach.

OpenNebula Systems continues to bolster its presence within European industry forums, serving as the chair for both the IPCEI-CIS Industry Facilitation Group and the Cloud-Edge Working Group of the European Alliance for Industrial Data, Edge and Cloud. Headquartered in Spain, the company also maintains offices in Belgium, the Czech Republic, and the US.

The partnership with OVHcloud is being framed as a significant move to broaden deployment options for organisations requiring a fully European stack - combining European infrastructure with European software.

"This collaboration with OVHcloud is a concrete step toward making sovereign cloud a practical reality in Europe," said Alexander Sergunin, Global Partner Manager, OpenNebula Systems. "By offering certified OpenNebula deployments on trusted European infrastructure, OVHcloud strengthens the ecosystem of open, interoperable, and compliant cloud solutions, and enables public and private organisations to build secure hybrid cloud environments fully based on European software and services."

OVHcloud said the collaboration fits its strategy around sovereign cloud options in Europe and the use of open-source software.

"The collaboration with OpenNebula Systems is perfectly aligned with OVHcloud's mission to offer fully sovereign cloud options for European organisations without compromising performance, flexibility, or interoperability thanks to open source" said John Gazal, VP Southern Europe at OVHcloud. "Our OpenNebula-powered environments provide a ready-to-use alternative to other virtualization stacks, enabling scalable private, hybrid, and edge clouds in Europe."

The companies said OVHcloud's participation in the Hosted OpenNebula Cloud - Ready Certification Programme expands the network of European providers offering OpenNebula-based services.