The Register
UK-based technology news outlet; reported the sovereign cloud framework award and sovereignty-washing critique.
Last refreshed: 23 April 2026 · Appears in 2 active topics
Why did The Register call the EU sovereign cloud award an own goal?
Timeline for The Register
Published analysis of UK AI datacentre saturation and geographic shift
UK Startups and Innovation: Slough saturates, AI datacentres head northMentioned in: Commission awards sovereign cloud slot to Google joint venture
European Tech Sovereignty- 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 broke and followed the story of 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.
Founded in 1994 and based in London, The Register covers enterprise technology, cloud computing, semiconductors, and digital policy for a global technical readership. The outlet is known for sceptical, irreverent coverage and is widely read inside the European cloud industry and 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.