The French Health Data Hub (HDH) is transitioning its cloud hosting services from Microsoft Azure to Scaleway, a subsidiary of the French telecoms firm Iliad Group. This decision marks a significant shift in the management of health records for millions of French citizens. It represents a broader movement towards data sovereignty in the European Union, amidst growing tensions with the United States.
Microsoft Azure was initially chosen in 2019 without a competitive tender, which sparked criticism and concern over data security. The change to Scaleway is anticipated to be completed by late 2026 or early 2027. Choosing a European cloud provider aligns with efforts in other EU regions, like Germany’s Schleswig-Holstein, which is moving away from Microsoft products to open-source alternatives, reducing costs significantly. Similar changes are underway in Denmark.
Under the new contract, Scaleway will host various health databases, including a duplicate of the National Health Data System (SNDS). The aim is to streamline data access, enhancing French and European health research capabilities. Scaleway’s selection resulted from stringent criteria based on security, resilience, performance, and scalability.
Moreover, Scaleway is armed with the Hébergeur de Données de Santé (HDS) certification, a French legal requirement for health data hosting. This certification became more demanding after recent updates, as French authorities prioritize digital sovereignty. The company’s roadmap to SecNumCloud qualification further strengthens its position, ensuring immunity from non-EU laws like the US CLOUD Act.
Notably, Scaleway has invested heavily in data management and artificial intelligence capabilities. The acquisition of Saagie, a French DataOps provider, in 2025 bolstered its data orchestration and quality assurance facets.
Beyond the focus on sovereignty, Scaleway aims to make vast amounts of complex, diverse data more accessible for research and innovation. The platform is already employed by key public and private entities, including the French Home Office and Delubac Bank, for processing sensitive data.
This move indicates a strategic pivot towards European control over crucial data systems, promising a future of enhanced data management tied intricately to technological progress and regional autonomy.
