Jun 11, 2020 06:00:00

The project 'GAIA-X' that aims to win the independence of the European cloud and escape from American and Chinese companies started

Cloud computing, which provides computer resources via the Internet, has grown into an indispensable element for various businesses. However, since the cloud computing market is dominated by American companies such as Microsoft and Amazon Web Service (AWS) and Chinese companies such as Alibaba, European countries have won the independence of cloud computing and built a system that does not depend on foreign companies. It is reported that the project called ' GAIA-X ' has been started.

France, Germany back European cloud computing'moonshot'-Reuters
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-tech/france-germany-back-european-cloud-computing-moonshot-idUSKBN23B26B

Meet GAIA-X: This is Europe's bid to get cloud independence from US and China giants | ZDNet
https://www.zdnet.com/article/meet-gaia-x-this-is-europes-bid-to-get-cloud-independence-from-us-and-china-giants/

Germany, France launch Gaia-X platform in bid for'tech sovereignty' – POLITICO
https://www.politico.eu/article/germany-france-gaia-x-cloud-platform-eu-tech-sovereignty/

Germany's Federal Minister for Economics and Energy

Peter Altmeyer and France's Minister for Economy and Finance Bruno Le Mer have announced on 4 June 2020 that the European Union has decided to reduce its dependence on large corporations in the United States and China. Announced a project to build an ecosystem of cloud computing. The project, called 'GAIA-X,' will set up a non-profit organization called 'GAIX-X Foundation' in Belgium, and the participating companies will provide cloud computing in compliance with the strict EU privacy protection standards.

GAIA-X is a platform that combines multiple companies that provide cloud computing services, and does not directly compete with AWS or Microsoft. GAIA-X is aimed at encouraging European companies and organizations to use European cloud computing companies rather than American and Chinese cloud computing companies.

The move is part of a policy aimed at establishing European 'digital sovereignty' and reducing EU countries' dependence on foreign companies. Minister Le Mer told reporters, 'We are not China, not the United States. We are a collection of European countries with the value and economic interests we want to protect.' It was.

The founding members of GAIA-X include 22 companies in Germany and France, and various companies such as telecommunications companies such as

Deutsche Telekom and Orange , manufacturers such as Bosch and Siemens , and cloud computing companies such as Atos and OVHcloud participate. doing. Each company contributes 1.5 million euros (about 180 million yen) to the GAIA-X Foundation annually and contributes to the construction of the platform.

According to the principles of data sovereignty, data availability, easy portability, transparency, and fairness, member companies can provide a high-performance and reliable cloud structure to users in a wide market in Europe. is. “Building a European-based alternative is only possible when we work together,” said OVHcloud CEO Michel Paulin.

In the United States, even if the ' cloud law ' was enacted during a lawsuit requiring a disclosure of communication data stored in an Irish server owned by Microsoft, even if the data is stored on a foreign server , Any corporate server based in the United States can now be accessed by government agencies. In Europe, the independence of cloud computing and the securing of sovereignty have become issues in response to these movements, and GAIA-X is expected to be an important step to win the sovereignty of cloud computing.

However, some critics fear that GAIA-X may not work. One of the reasons is that companies such as AWS, Google, and Microsoft are participating in the GAIA-X technical working group, and GAIA-X itself is not completely independent from large companies such as the United States in the first place. Tabea Rößner , a digital policy spokesman for the German Opposition Alliance 90/Greens , says the GAIA-X objective can be achieved unless it limits the possible impact of foreign companies such as AWS on GAIA-X. It warns that it will fail without it.

On this point, Minister Altmeyer commented that although companies outside the EU can participate in GAIA-X, those companies must adhere to the GAIA-X principles. Microsoft has officially announced its support for GAIA-X and said in a statement, ``We have identified GAIA-X as an important platform for creating digital value and enhancing data-based business models in Europe. I strongly promise to contribute forever.'