Thales announced a strategic partnership with Google Cloud to establish a new sovereign cloud solution in Germany. Building on the success of S3NS, Thales’ trusted cloud subsidiary in France, and operator of its first European sovereign cloud region, this agreement marks a decisive step in meeting the German market's demand for sovereign solutions that shield sensitive data from extraterritorial laws.
Thales will launch a new German entity, legally and operationally independent from Google Cloud, that will be staffed and managed by local German personnel, ensuring that no third party, including non-European entities, can access the data stored or processed within it.
“Germany represents a critical market for sovereign technologies, and this partnership is a direct response to private and public sector German organizations wanting access to Google Cloud’s technology under full German control. By launching this locally operated infrastructure, we are delivering a solution that guarantees sensitive workloads remain protected from any extraterritorial reach while meeting the unique security and compliance requirements of our customers,” said Christoph Ruffner, CEO and Country Director of Thales in Germany.
The partnership reflects a shared conviction that German and European organizations in the highly regulated industries and the public sector can benefit from cloud services that combine world-class technology with the highest standards of security and control.
"Our partnership with Thales in Germany represents a significant milestone in our commitment to digital sovereignty in Germany and Europe. By combining the power and scale of Google Cloud with Thales’ deep expertise in cybersecurity and local operational control, we are enabling German organizations even in the most sensitive sectors to innovate with confidence, while meeting the specific legal and operational safeguards required by the local regulatory landscape," said Marianne Janik, Vice President, EMEA North, Google Cloud.
Addressing the need for sovereign cloud offerings in Germany
This new German sovereign cloud offering will be based on the most advanced technologies and services of each partner, bringing the benefits of hyperscale cloud technology to companies and public sector organizations so they can innovate transparently, autonomously and securely. The planned new entity will be structured to ensure complete operational separation from Google Cloud, providing customers with the legal and technical guarantees they need in an increasingly regulated environment. In addition, this new solution will provide enhanced continuity and reliability across Europe.
The solution is available in Preview now and expected to be generally available by the end of 2026, and is being developed to meet regulatory requirements including C5 and the new C3A framework.
A proven model, now scaling across Europe
This expansion creates two complementary sovereign regions run by Thales. With a technology and operating model identical to PREMI3NS by S3NS in France, this new region will also enable German, French, and European customers to benefit from enhanced resilience, through disaster recovery capabilities across both regions while maintaining high security standards. Having achieved SecNumCloud 3.2 qualification for its PREMI3NS offering at the end of 2025, S3NS demonstrates that state-of-the-art cloud innovation can be combined with stringent security, operational control, and strong protection of sensitive data.
"S3NS highly welcomes this new partnership. With this German region, we are building a European first: by aiming for both SecNumCloud qualification and C5 - C3A framework across both regions, it is the first time a sovereign cloud model targets different local certifications simultaneously, simplifying the compliance burden for multinational customers. And by providing this multi-region sovereign cloud capability, we will enable European organizations to benefit from enhanced resilience, without ever compromising on sovereignty," said Hélène Bringer, President of S3NS and Vice-President, Critical Information Systems at Thales.
Thales in Germany, an industrial player employing 2,300 people across nine sites, with a presence in the country dating back to 1880, provides the foundation for this partnership. Its longstanding expertise in critical missions across defense, security, aerospace, and digital identity positions Thales as a natural partner to address Germany's most sensitive cloud requirements.
Relevant employee representatives of Thales will be informed and consulted on this project.
The official name of the new German entity will be unveiled in the coming months.
Customers and partners are welcoming the Sovereign Cloud partnership between Thales and Google Cloud.
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