Public data updated continuously
Our mission
Documenting a strategic dependency, without dramatising or downplaying it.
NextHop exists because European digital sovereignty remains a poorly documented strategic topic. Public and private decision-makers lack quantified, neutral and up-to-date references to arbitrate their cloud choices.
Our approach is that of an observatory. Public data only, written methodology, versioned weightings. Every score is traceable and reproducible by a third party from the cited sources.
What we are not. Neither a think tank, nor a consultancy in disguise, nor a lobby. We publish measurable tools, not positions. Scored providers do not finance the platform.
Reference
What is digital sovereignty?
The ability of an organisation to control its data, its workloads and its technical dependencies, without being subject to the law or the arbitrations of a third-party state.
Jurisdiction
Which law applies to the provider. The US CLOUD Act and FISA 702 allow access to data hosted by US-controlled entities, even outside US territory.
Data
Where the data lives, who holds the keys, who encrypts it. EU residency, client-side key management, effective control over administrator access.
Technology
Open standards, workload portability, independence from a single vendor. Technical lock-in is as much a risk as legal exposure.
Our tools
How we help concretely
Six public tools, accessible without an account, designed for precise use cases.
Leaderboard
Top 5 sovereign providers
The 5 highest-rated providers in the panel across the 6 weighted criteria (jurisdiction, immunity, technology, data, certifications, openness).
Who it serves
Who uses NextHop
Three audiences rely on the observatory daily, with distinct needs but a shared requirement for neutrality.
Public sector CIOs
Cloud procurement leaders, IT directors, CISOs. Need to compare, source and justify decisions.
Typical case: preparing a SecNumCloud or EUCS request for proposals.
Elected officials and policy staff
Parliamentarians, advisors, ministerial cabinets. Need a factual regulatory baseline.
Typical case: backing a bill on public procurement requirements.
Journalists and researchers
Tech newsrooms, academic think tanks, NGOs. Need to verify quantified claims independently.
Typical case: checking the real jurisdiction of a provider marketed as sovereign.
Methodology in brief
Four non-negotiable principles
The credibility of an observatory depends on its transparency. Here are the operating rules that apply to all our publications.
Public sources
No private data. Catalogue prices, official registries, regulatory documents.
Transparency
Written methodology, published weightings, public changelog.
Monthly updates
Automated price sync and quarterly panel resync.
Open code
Audit tools and import scripts available for independent review.
Recent studies
Published analyses
StudyL’AI Act ou l’art de réglementer son propre décrochageL’Europe a été la première à réglementer l’intelligence artificielle, mais elle risque d’être la dernière à la produire. Tandis que les États-Unis mobilisent le capital et que la Chine construit une filière industrielle intégrée, l’Union empile les normes, reporte leur application et accueille sur son sol les infrastructures des plateformes étrangères. Pour redevenir une puissance technologique, elle devra inverser l’ordre des priorités : construire la capacité avant de prétendre en fixer les règles.
StudyMicrosoft–Mistral : l’Europe gagne un fournisseur, pas encore sa souverainetéMicrosoft fournissait autrefois à Mistral les moyens d’entraîner ses modèles. Deux ans plus tard, le géant américain lui achète plusieurs milliards de dollars de capacité de calcul. Derrière ce spectaculaire renversement se dessine une opération plus ambiguë : Mistral gagne un client, un canal mondial et les moyens de financer ses infrastructures, mais s’expose à de nouvelles dépendances industrielles et commerciales.
StudySemi-conducteurs : le rattrapage chinois déplace le rapport de forceLe prototype chinois de lithographie EUV assemblé à Shenzhen ne menace pas encore la suprématie d’ASML. Mais il révèle un basculement plus profond : le verrou technologique se déplace vers la mémoire et l’agrégation, la Chine gagne du terrain sur les puces matures dont dépend l’industrie européenne, et l’Europe découvre que son principal actif stratégique reste largement administré depuis Washington.
Go further
Contribute or get in touch
An audit project, a data point to correct, a study to publish together. Write to us, we reply within 48 business hours.
100% independent. No advertising, no advertising tracking, no funding from scored providers.