Masters of Digital 2021: GAIA-X wants to provide a “cloud rulebook” to the Commission, CEO Hubert Tardieu says

GAIA-X CEO Hubert Tardieu joined Masters of Digital 2021 to outline what’s next for this pan-European cloud federation, of which DIGITALEUROPE is a Day 1 member.

In his keynote conversation with Director-General Cecilia Bonefeld-Dahl, Hubert Tardieu acknowledged the first objective of GAIA-X: to get more European companies and institutions using cloud. Given the rise of vertical sectors, he said, we need to be able and capable to share data with a large community of providers, without the restrictions of data centres. As of now, only use of cloud in the EU stands at 26 per cent; the GAIA-X Foundation seeks to double this percentage over the next 4-5 years, to reach 50 per cent. This is already the case in Finland, Sweden and Denmark; Tardieu assured that this is attainable across Europe.

The GAIA-X CEO suggested that the solution to achieving this and reinforcing digital content is “to find an interoperable solution” by cloud service providers and users – a solution to the limitations of being attached to a single cloud scheme.

To this end, Tardieu stressed the need to facilitate the creation of data spaces, which in turn will foster ecosystems of data sharing. Cloud penetration, he argued, is ultimately a means to an end: making the EU industry more accessible.

Speaking on GAIA-X’s collaboration with the Commission – which has launched its Alliance for Cloud and Data last December – Tardieu emphasised the importance of putting forward an Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI) that will fund Europe’s ambitions in cloud and edge computing. GAIA-X will have a key role in preparing the ground for this IPCEI, by defining a “cloud rulebook” to present to the Commission.

Going forward, Tardieu called for start-ups and national associations to join GAIA-X: “we need their unique value and expertise. We have reopened the applications so anyone is welcome to join. Our goal is having 23 to 25 national hubs by the end of the year”.