OpenNebula Debuts on OVHcloud for Sovereign Cloud

OpenNebula Systems and OVHcloud have formalized a collaboration that places European digital sovereignty at the center of enterprise cloud strategy. Through OVHcloud’s participation in the Hosted OpenNebula Cloud – Ready Certification Program, organizations can now deploy fully sovereign cloud instances powered by OpenNebula on certified European infrastructure, combining regulatory compliance with enterprise-grade performance.

The move comes as European enterprises and public institutions reassess their dependency on non-European hyperscalers amid tightening data protection requirements and rising geopolitical risk.

OVHcloud operates more than 500,000 servers across 46 data centers on four continents, serving over 1.6 million customers in more than 140 countries.

With OpenNebula now available across multiple OVHcloud European locations, customers gain access to a privately hosted cloud platform that remains entirely under EU jurisdiction, meeting GDPR obligations while avoiding vendor lock-in.

Sovereign Cloud Gains European Momentum

At a technical level, the certified deployments support federation between OpenNebula environments and integration with private or hosted clouds, enabling hybrid and multi-cloud architectures without sacrificing control. This interoperability is particularly relevant for R&D programs, regulated industries, and public sector bodies that require strict data locality and transparency. Low-latency connectivity, long-term compatibility with future OpenNebula releases, and the ability to run on high-performance bare-metal servers position the offering as a viable alternative to proprietary virtualization stacks.

OVHcloud’s infrastructure supports automated provisioning, reference architectures, and self-service deployment models, allowing enterprises to scale private, hybrid, and edge workloads efficiently. The collaboration also aligns with broader European policy objectives. OpenNebula deployments, including those running on OVHcloud, are compliant with the IPCEI-CIS Reference Architecture, a framework designed to enable secure, federated cloud services across multiple European providers. This compliance supports distributed, multi-provider architectures for research, enterprise, and government use cases.

Industry executives frame the partnership as a pragmatic step toward operationalizing sovereignty rather than treating it as an abstract policy goal. By certifying OpenNebula on trusted European infrastructure, the ecosystem expands the availability of interoperable cloud services built on open source software and governed by European law. For customers, the result is greater choice in how and where workloads are deployed, without compromising performance or future flexibility.

Beyond immediate enterprise use, the collaboration strengthens Europe’s broader cloud and edge computing landscape. OpenNebula Systems maintains offices across Spain, Belgium, the Czech Republic, and the United States, and plays an active role in shaping European cloud standards through its leadership in IPCEI-CIS industry groups. OVHcloud’s inclusion in the certification program extends the network of European providers capable of delivering compliant, production-ready OpenNebula services.

For businesses navigating compliance-heavy environments or seeking to de-risk long-term cloud strategies, the availability of OpenNebula on OVHcloud signals a maturing sovereign cloud market – one that increasingly balances autonomy, interoperability, and commercial viability.

Executive Insights FAQ

What does ‘sovereign cloud’ mean in this context?

It refers to cloud environments hosted and operated entirely under EU jurisdiction, ensuring data control, compliance, and transparency.

Why is OpenNebula significant for European enterprises?

OpenNebula is open source, avoids vendor lock-in, and supports interoperable private, hybrid, and edge cloud architectures.

How does OVHcloud’s infrastructure add value?

OVHcloud provides certified European data centers, high-performance bare-metal servers, and GDPR-compliant operations.

What role does IPCEI-CIS compliance play?

It ensures alignment with European reference architectures for federated, multi-provider cloud ecosystems.

Who benefits most from this collaboration?

Public sector bodies, regulated industries, and enterprises seeking long-term cloud autonomy within Europe.