Thales Announces Strategic Partnership with Google Cloud to Launch a New Sovereign Cloud in Germany

• Thales and Google Cloud have signed a landmark partnership to launch a new European sovereign cloud offering in Germany, delivering advanced cloud capabilities to customers while keeping their data confidential, secure and fully sovereign.
• This solution will live on dedicated infrastructure that will be managed and operated by a new German entity, which Thales will fully own and control.
• This offering is designed to meet the stringent digital sovereignty and regulatory requirements of German public sector organizations and highly regulated industries, and meet Germany's new C3A framework criteria. It is available in Preview now and aims for General Availability by the end of 2026.
• By establishing this new sovereign region alongside PREMI3NS by S3NS, a Thales subsidiary, this new partnership marks an industry-first: a pan-European, geo-redundant, sovereign cloud offering that delivers a unique cross-border disaster recovery solution in Europe for Europe.

PARIS and SUNNYVALE, Calif., May 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Thales, a global leader in high technologies, today 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 and C5 - C3A 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

"The digital transformation of statutory health insurance will be built upon the foundation of modern AI and cloud technology. This will be crucial for enabling us to continue operating efficiently and with a strong customer focus in the market, particularly in light of the impending challenges facing the healthcare insurance system as a whole. At the same time, the healthcare sector is - quite rightly - subject to the strictest regulatory requirements. We are following the partnership between Thales Germany and Google Cloud with great interest; we welcome the availability of such solution approaches on the market, and, by extension, the implementation of solutions that fully comply with regulatory standards. They demonstrate that digital innovation and uncompromising data security can indeed go hand in hand - an absolute prerequisite for earning the trust of customers and policyholders." Sebastian Angerstein, IT Project- and Solutionmanagement Lead, AOK Niedersachsen

"Financial markets thrive on integrity, and digital sovereignty is an indispensable building block in this regard. It sends an important signal to the market that, through Google Cloud Dedicated in conjunction with Thales, a solution is being created that combines technological excellence with resilient, cross-border infrastructure. Such offerings create further opportunities to securely and reliably scale highly regulated processes in the cloud."  Dr. Christoph Böhm, Member of the Executive Board Deutsche Börse AG, Chief Information Officer/Chief Operating Officer

"The protection and sovereign control of sensitive health data are of the highest priority for the University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein. At the same time, modern university hospitals require powerful and highly scalable cloud and AI infrastructures to effectively drive innovation in research, translation, and patient care at the highest level.In our view, the partnership between Thales Germany and Google Cloud combines both: modern cloud and AI technologies at an international level of innovation, as well as localized control and regulatory compliance for sensitive data and critical applications. Such sovereign cloud approaches constitute a key building block for implementing digital innovations in the healthcare sector in a responsible and future-proof manner." Rudolf Dück, CIO, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein

"The New Sovereign Cloud Offering from Thales Germany and Google Cloud represents a consistent and forward-looking enhancement of our broad cloud portfolio. As a future-oriented European IT partner and multi-cloud broker for enterprises and the public sector, our ambition is to make digital sovereignty tangible and actionable. That is why we place great importance on technology-agnostic consulting, robust infrastructures, and resilient strategies that preserve freedom of choice and provide our customers with reliable courses of action in any situation. We look forward to further strengthening our successful partnership in this key area." Melanie Schüle, Managing Director, Bechtle Clouds

"Digital sovereignty and data protection in accordance with European standards are key requirements for our customers - in both the private and public sectors - regarding their technological infrastructure. We therefore welcome the collaboration between Google and Thales to provide a sovereign cloud in Germany. This partnership represents a logical response to the growing demand for highly secure and scalable solutions for sensitive data. As a consultancy and systems integrator, we enable our customers to access these innovations directly." Volker Krug, CEO, Deloitte Germany

"As one of the leading partners for the public sector, we recognize that digital sovereignty is the fundamental prerequisite for the digital transformation of public administration. The joint offering from Thales Germany and Google Cloud - specifically Google Cloud Dedicated - perfectly complements our portfolio, enabling us to provide our customers with a technologically first-class solution that meets stringent regulatory requirements. Together with our partners, we guide government agencies and public institutions in navigating their transition to the cloud in a manner that is secure, transparent, and legally compliant, thereby sustainably strengthening the state's capacity to act in the digital era." Thomas Garbe, Managing Director, SoftwareOne Deutschland GmbH

About Thales

Thales (Euronext Paris: HO) is a global leader in advanced technologies for the Defence, Aerospace, and Cyber & Digital sectors. Its portfolio of innovative products and services addresses several major challenges: sovereignty, security, sustainability and inclusion. The Group invests more than €4.5 billion per year in Research & Development in key areas, particularly for critical environments, such as Artificial Intelligence, cybersecurity, quantum and cloud technologies.

Thales has more than 85,000 employees in 65 countries. In 2025, the Group generated sales of €22.1 billion

Thales in Germany is headquartered in Ditzingen and is one of the largest national subsidiaries of the Thales group. The company employs 2,300* people at 9 locations and carries out its own manufacturing and development. In 2025, Thales Deutschland generated sales of EUR 670 million*, predominantly German value added. Thales has a technology tradition in Germany for over a century.  The company, an integrated German electronics corporation and systems house, is a model of German engineering tradition. As a recognized member of Germany's high-tech industry, Thales offers its customers at home and abroad state-of-the-art, highly secure and ultra-reliable reconnaissance, radar, communications and information systems, as well as services for secure air and sea transportation, for both civilian and military security and protection needs. In addition, Thales in Germany  has a comprehensive portfolio of IT solutions for cyber security. At its Ulm side the company also develops and manufactures satellite components.

Thales in Germany focuses on the lasting business success of its customers. Its business partnerships with customers worldwide, as well as with local and international engineering and research partners, are based on trust.

*According to International Accounting Standards (IAS) excl. Joint Ventures. Thales Deutschland also generated substantial revenues via its joint venture investments.

About Google Cloud

Google Cloud offers a powerful, optimized AI stack — including AI infrastructure, leading models like Gemini, data management capabilities, multicloud security solutions, developer tools and platform, as well as agents and applications — that enables organizations to transform their business for the Agentic Era. Customers in more than 200 countries and territories turn to Google Cloud as their trusted technology partner.

SOURCE Google Cloud