IIC UK Chapter meeting: Cloud Sovereignty at a Crossroads: UK Choices in a Geopolitical Cloud Market

Save the Date – registration will open shortly

Date: Tuesday 10 March 2026
Time: 17:00-19:00 GMT, followed by a networking reception
Venue: TBC, London

Cloud and digital sovereignty have become central to debates about how states can protect sensitive data, maintain strategic autonomy over critical infrastructure, and reduce dependence on a small number of powerful global technology providers.  The first UK IIC Chapter event for 2026 will explore what “cloud sovereignty” should mean for the UK in practice, and how far UK policy, regulation and commercial offerings are equipped to deliver it in a rapidly shifting geopolitical environment.

There is a long‑standing debate about data sovereignty, driven by the need to protect personal and sensitive data while managing the tensions created by data localisation rules and legislation with extraterritorial reach, such as the US CLOUD Act.  In parallel, a wider discussion on digital sovereignty has gathered pace as governments around the world recognise the extent of their dependence on global (largely US owned) technology platforms over which they have limited control, a concern sharpened by current geopolitical tensions.

These strands converge in a new policy focus on “cloud sovereignty”, reflected in recent European initiatives, including the EU’s emerging Cloud Sovereignty Framework and related instruments, and in the UK government’s recognition of the importance of sovereign compute capacity in its AI Opportunities Action Plan.  At the same time, the UK and EU appear to be pursuing different strategic priorities: the EU is moving towards a more formalised, sovereignty‑driven cloud framework, while the UK has so far adopted a more flexible and market‑led approach, underpinned by the CMA’s cloud market investigation (with a CMA Board decision on next steps expected in early 2026) and a more fragmented toolkit across data, competition and digital regulation.

Against this backdrop, this IIC panel discussion will examine what cloud sovereignty should mean in a UK context: whether the EU definition is appropriate, what is realistically achievable at UK scale, and how far the UK is prepared to trade off strict sovereignty objectives against cost, innovation and competitiveness.  It will examine how UK government policy on cloud and sovereign compute fits within the broader geopolitical landscape and what the CMA’s next steps on its cloud inquiry could imply for providers, enterprise users and regulators.

The discussion will also assess how far current commercial offerings, such as BT Sovereign Cloud and other similar initiatives meet immediate UK needs around data protection, jurisdictional control and operational resilience, and what gaps exist.

Panellists will explore what additional policy, regulatory and industry measures might be required over the longer term to strengthen the UK’s cloud sovereignty, including options for standards, certification, procurement levers and coordination between competition, data protection and sector regulators.

Questions for discussion include:

• What do we mean by cloud sovereignty, and is the EU’s working definition suitable for the UK’s strategic, legal and market context?
• What is practically achievable at UK scale, and how far should the UK compromise on sovereignty objectives to keep prices down and support innovation and SME adoption?
• What has the UK government said on cloud sovereignty and sovereign compute to date, and how does this sit within wider geopolitical and security considerations?
• What are the likely next steps by the CMA in its cloud inquiry, and how do these fit within its broader digital markets and competition agenda?
• To what extent do offerings such as BT Sovereign Cloud and AWS European Sovereign Cloud meet immediate UK requirements, and where do they fall short?
• What more might be done, especially over the longer term, to build a robust, competitive and sovereign UK cloud ecosystem?

Registration Fees for delegates

Tuesday 10 March 2026
IIC UK Chapter Meeting

IIC Members – Free
Non-Members – £25 GBP (excluding VAT *) 
*VAT will be applicable for UK registrations only

If you feel the delegate fee may be a barrier to attending this event, please contact us at enquiries@iicom.org