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The Register
Organisation

The Register

UK-based technology news outlet; reported the sovereign cloud framework award and sovereignty-washing critique.

Last refreshed: 8 July 2026 · Appears in 4 active topics

Key Question

Why did The Register call the EU sovereign cloud award an own goal?

Timeline for The Register

#113 Jul

Reported the £96m second-wave launch

European Tech Sovereignty: UK launches £96m Sovereign AI wave
#913 May

Mentioned in: Standards probe opens on Farage £5m gift

UK Local Elections 2026
#220 Apr

Published analysis of UK AI datacentre saturation and geographic shift

UK Startups and Innovation: Slough saturates, AI datacentres head north
#317 Apr

Mentioned in: Commission awards sovereign cloud slot to Google joint venture

European Tech Sovereignty
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Follow European Tech Sovereignty →Follow UK Startups and Innovation →Follow Cybersecurity: Threats and Defences →Follow Data Centres: Boom and Backlash →
Common Questions
What did The Register say about the EU sovereign cloud award?
The Register reported that the Proximus consortium includes S3NS, a Thales-Google Cloud joint venture, and relayed CISPE's charge that this amounted to sovereignty washing.Source: The Register
Is The Register a reliable source for EU tech policy news?
The Register is a long-established UK trade publication read widely in the enterprise and cloud sectors; it is cited regularly by EU-focused digital policy analysts.
What is sovereignty washing in the context of EU cloud contracts?
CISPE used the term to describe awarding sovereign cloud status to a provider (S3NS) that runs on US-owned Google infrastructure, arguing the label overstates actual independence from US jurisdiction.Source: The Register

Background

The Register is a British technology news outlet founded in 1994 and based in London, covering enterprise technology, cloud computing, semiconductors and digital policy for a global technical readership. It is known for sceptical, irreverent coverage and is widely read inside the European cloud industry and among EU institutions' technical staff. Across multiple Lowdown topics it has served as a specialist source on cloud market dynamics, data centre capacity and UK tech sector developments.

The Register broke and followed the European Commission's €180m sovereign cloud framework award in April 2026, reporting CISPE Secretary General Francisco Mingorance's charge that including S3NS, a Google Cloud joint venture, amounted to "sovereignty washing". Its coverage cited SEAL-level differences between the four awardees and introduced the CLOUD Act exposure angle.

On 3 July 2026 The Register reported the UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology's second wave of Sovereign AI procurement, worth £96m across seven sectors with contracts up to £5m each running to March 2030.

On 20 April 2026 The Register reported that London hosts 80% of UK AI data centre capacity, but Slough has reached saturation with 35 data centres and West London's grid is exhausted; UK electricity costs four times US equivalents on IEA figures, with AI Growth Zones directing new capacity north.

More questions
What does The Register cover?
The Register is a British outlet founded in 1994 covering enterprise technology, cloud computing, semiconductors and digital policy, known for sceptical, irreverent reporting.
Why did The Register call the EU cloud award sovereignty washing?
The Register reported CISPE's charge that including S3NS, a Google Cloud joint venture, in the EU's sovereign cloud framework undermined the point of the award.Source: event
What did The Register report about UK AI data centres?
It reported that London hosts 80% of UK AI data centre capacity, with Slough saturated and West London's grid exhausted, pushing new capacity north.Source: event
Where is The Register based?
The Register is based in London and has covered UK and European technology policy since 1994.