France replaces Microsoft Azure with local alternative for national Health Data Hub

France has chosen domestic cloud provider Scaleway, a subsidiary of Iliad, to host the country's Health Data Hub, replacing Microsoft Azure in a long-contested arrangement, Scaleway said on Thursday.

The contract adds to the French company's broader European momentum. Earlier in April, the European Commission awarded a 180 million euro ($210 million) cloud tender to Scaleway, Post Telecom, OVHcloud and STACKIT.

The French government had originally chosen Microsoft Azure to host the platform, a decision that drew sustained legal and political scrutiny. Microsoft's own representatives admitted before a French Senate inquiry that they could not oppose a US injunction targeting French citizens' data, even if it was hosted in France.

A follow-up law passed in 2024 mandates that sensitive data be hosted on sovereign-guaranteed infrastructure, effectively excluding providers subject to the US Cloud Act.

Scaleway, evaluated for more than 350 technical criteria, was designated as the hub's future host, tasked with securing health records covering tens of millions of French citizens.

France is systematically breaking away from US tech giants. In April 2026, the French government committed to replacing Microsoft's Windows with Linux across 2.5 million civil servants' desktops, requiring every ministry to submit replacement plans by autumn 2026.

The move follows France's successful Linux rollout in its national police force, which saves €2 million annually compared to Windows.

Also, European companies are currently building Euro-Office – a web-based productivity suite that could help replace Microsoft Word and Google Docs with European alternatives. However, locally made alternatives show promise but still face gaps compared to US platforms.

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