Cloud Infrastructure Services Providers in Europe

What Cloud Infrastructure Services Providers in Europe does

CISPE (Cloud Infrastructure Services Providers in Europe) is a Belgian non-profit trade association (ASBL) founded in 2016 and headquartered in Brussels, representing 46-50 European cloud infrastructure service providers headquartered across at least 11 EU member states plus the UK, Switzerland, and Norway. The organization's core function is to develop certification frameworks, codes of conduct, and policy positions that promote a competitive, sovereign, and GDPR-compliant European cloud market, in opposition to perceived dominance by US hyperscalers (Microsoft, Broadcom/VMware) and unfair software licensing practices. CISPE is governed by a 100% European board with majority SME representation, led by Secretary General and Founder Francisco Mingorance and President Jacqueline van de Werken (Group General Counsel at Leaseweb Global), and supported by a small secretariat of 1-10 staff.

CISPE's product portfolio consists of industry standards and frameworks rather than commercial software: the Data Protection Code of Conduct (the first GDPR code of conduct for cloud infrastructure providers, approved by EU regulators); the Sovereign and Resilient Cloud Framework, a binding, audited certification scheme covering legal, control, and ownership criteria with an AI-powered pre-assessment tool; the Cloud Switching Framework supporting EU Data Act compliance; ten Fair Software Licensing Principles developed with Cigref; the European Cloud Competition Observatory (ECCO); and a public Cloud Services Catalogue. CISPE also co-founded GAIA-X and convenes the Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact, linking 100+ data centre operators and 29 trade associations committed to climate neutrality by 2030.

The business model is membership-funded: cloud infrastructure providers join as full members (with Board representation) or associate members, and specific fee schedules are not publicly disclosed. Recent strategic activity is heavily concentrated on regulatory advocacy — including a Microsoft competition complaint (November 2022) culminating in a July 2025 licensing reform agreement, a 2025 General Court challenge to the Broadcom-VMware merger approval, a March 2026 competition complaint against Broadcom/VMware, the July 2025 Sovereign Cloud Manifesto with 20 concrete actions, and a €1 million investment in open-source distributed cloud infrastructure announced in March 2025. Geographic reach remains European, with growth in certified operators (ETIX, PHOCEA DC, Thésée Datacenter, Gigas) in June 2026.

Name

Cloud Infrastructure Services Providers in Europe

Legal name

Cloud Infrastructure Services Providers in Europe ASBL

Website

https://cispe.cloud

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CISPE is a Belgian non-profit trade association representing 46-50 European cloud infrastructure providers, developing certification frameworks, codes of conduct, and policy advocacy for cloud sovereignty, data protection, fair software licensing, and climate neutrality across the EU.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cloud Infrastructure Trade Association

NAICS

Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (51821)

SIC

Services-Business Services, Nec (7389)

akta.pro primary industry

Cloud Compliance, Audit & Continuous Controls Monitoring (CCM/GRC) (HDABAHAI)

Keywords

• Cloud infrastructure association
• Digital sovereignty certification
• Fair software licensing
• Data protection code
• Climate neutral data centres

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CISPE (Cloud Infrastructure Services Providers in Europe) is a not-for-profit trade association that develops certification frameworks, codes of conduct, and policy initiatives on behalf of European cloud infrastructure providers. Its deliverables include the Data Protection Code of Conduct, the Sovereign and Resilient Cloud Framework, the Cloud Switching Framework, Fair Software Licensing Principles, the European Cloud Competition Observatory, and a Cloud Services Catalogue.

Product overview

CISPE (Cloud Infrastructure Services Providers in Europe) is a not-for-profit association representing European cloud infrastructure providers. Rather than offering a commercial product, CISPE provides industry frameworks, codes of conduct, and certification programs: the Data Protection Code of Conduct for GDPR-aligned data handling in EU/EEA; the Sovereign and Resilient Cloud Framework for digital sovereignty certification with AI-powered pre-assessment; the Cloud Switching Framework for EU Data Act compliance; and the Fair Software Licensing Principles. Additionally, CISPE operates the European Cloud Competition Observatory (ECCO) for monitoring software licensing practices, maintains a Cloud Services Catalogue for member visibility, runs the Women in Cloud diversity initiative, and co-convenes the Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CISPE Data Protection Code of Conduct The first-ever data protection code of conduct for cloud infrastructure providers, enabling customers to exclusively process and store data within EU/EEA territories and ensuring providers do not data mine or profile customer data for marketing or resale purposes. It was greenlighted by EU Regulators (EDPB).
• CISPE Sovereign and Resilient Cloud Framework A binding, audited certification framework for digital sovereignty that assesses cloud services at the service level, covering legal, control, and ownership criteria beyond simple geographic dimensions. Includes a dedicated AI pre-assessment tool for cloud service providers.
• CISPE Cloud Switching Framework A framework designed to lower compliance burden and enable cloud switching and data portability, supporting timely compliance with EU Data Act cloud switching and interoperability provisions.
• European Cloud Competition Observatory (ECCO) An observatory established to monitor and provide regular overviews of licensing practices of large software companies, created as part of the Microsoft settlement agreement. CISPE members participate with Cigref and Beltug as observers.
• Cloud Services Catalogue A catalogue platform enabling customers to find and compare cloud services that meet CISPE certification standards and sovereignty requirements, including Gaia-X Level 3 interoperability.
• Fair Software Licensing Principles Ten principles for fair software licensing in the cloud, developed with Cigref, endorsed by multiple European associations, providing auditable control framework for assessing licensing terms.

Quantifiable outcome

• €1 billion+ per year unfair licensing surcharge identified for Microsoft SQL Server alone
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• ETIXminorOthers · 29 June 2026ETIX adopted the CISPE Sovereign and Resilient Cloud Service Certification scheme, self-certifying cloud services and committing to independent audit for the Certified Badge.
• PHOCEA DCminorOthers · 29 June 2026PHOCEA DC adopted the CISPE Sovereign and Resilient Cloud Service Certification scheme, self-certifying cloud services and committing to independent audit for the Certified Badge.
• Thésée DatacenterminorOthers · 29 June 2026Thésée Datacenter adopted the CISPE Sovereign and Resilient Cloud Service Certification scheme, committing to independent audit of entire sovereignty chain from servers to shareholding.
• GigasminorOthers · 29 June 2026Gigas adopted the CISPE Sovereign and Resilient Cloud Service Certification scheme, committing to submit services to independent audit for Certified Badge.
• OpenNebula SystemsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 October 2025OpenNebula Systems joined CISPE's Sovereign Cloud Committee to support development of European cloud sovereignty principles and technologies, contributing expertise in sovereign-by-design cloud and edge solutions.
• NumspotminorOthers · 11 June 2025Numspot (France) joined CISPE, reinforcing its position as the only association representing sovereign cloud providers in Europe.
• InfomaniakminorOthers · 11 June 2025Infomaniak (Switzerland) joined CISPE, reinforcing its position as the only association representing sovereign cloud providers in Europe.
• European Cloud Competition Observatory (ECCO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 November 2024Established as key element of Microsoft Settlement, ECCO scrutinises unfair software licensing practices. Includes CISPE members with Cigref and Beltug as observers, providing regular reports on licensing practices of large software companies.
• SWIPO AISBLcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 May 2021CISPE members declared first 21 cloud services meeting SWIPO IaaS Code of Conduct requirements for data portability. CISPE has co-chaired the SWIPO working group since 2017 with EuroCIO and CIGREF to enable data portability under EU Regulation on free flow of non-personal data.
• GAIA-XcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCISPE is a founding member and current board member of GAIA-X, promoting data portability, opposing customer lock-in, and committing to climate neutral data centres by 2030. CISPE is activating Gaia-X Level 3 through its Cloud Services Catalogue.
• Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact (CNDCP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCISPE is co-founder and convener of the Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact, an industry initiative bringing together over 100 data centre operators and 29 trade associations committed to achieving climate neutrality by 2030. Working with the European Commission on expert insights, data, and technical guidance.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• EuroCloud Europe: Pan-European cloud industry trade body promoting cloud adoption and representing European cloud providers; directly comparable to CISPE as another European cloud-focused association, though broader in scope across SaaS and PaaS in addition to IaaS.
• EuroCIO: European association of CIOs and digital leaders co-chairing the SWIPO working group with CISPE. Comparable as a Brussels-area European IT association that engages on cloud switching, data portability, and procurement policy.
• CIGREF: French association of large enterprise CIOs and digital leaders; co-developer with CISPE of the Fair Software Licensing Principles. Comparable as a European IT governance association shaping cloud and software licensing policy, primarily serving the French market.
• EuroISPA: European association of internet service providers, including cloud and infrastructure operators. Comparable as a Brussels-based European infrastructure trade body engaged in EU digital policy, though with a broader ISP and connectivity mandate.

Broad incumbents

• DigitalEurope: Largest European digital technology industry association representing global tech companies and large European players. Comparable as a Brussels-based industry body engaging EU institutions on cloud, data, and competition policy, but with a broader mandate and much larger membership.
• Cloud Security Alliance (CSA): Global not-for-profit organization producing widely used cloud security certifications, research, and standards (e.g., STAR). Comparable as a non-profit developing cloud assurance frameworks, though global in scope and focused on security rather than sovereignty.
• ISACA: Global professional association for IT governance, risk, audit, and cybersecurity professionals. Comparable as a non-profit producing cloud-related audit and compliance frameworks (e.g., COBIT), though with a global rather than European-sovereignty focus.
• CompTIA: Global non-profit trade association for the IT industry, producing widely recognized vendor-neutral certifications. Comparable as an industry association building certification programs and standards for the IT ecosystem, though US-anchored and global in scope.
• ITIC (Information Technology Industry Council): Global tech industry trade association representing major US and global technology companies on policy. Comparable as a large, well-resourced trade body engaging regulators on digital and cloud policy, but representing hyperscaler interests rather than European IaaS providers.

Others

• GAIA-X: European initiative to build a federated, sovereign data infrastructure. CISPE is a founding member and board participant, making GAIA-X a partner/ecosystem participant rather than a peer; included here as the most thematically adjacent initiative rather than a directly comparable trade body.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cispe
• Xx.com/cispe_cloud

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cloud Infrastructure Services Providers in Europe