AWS quits CISPE board as cloud group continues European push

Rule changes see AWS forced to step down from the CISPE board
The company will remain a member of the group
Microsoft is also a newly added member

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has stepped down from the board of CISPE (cloud infrastructure service providers in Europe) after a change of rules meaning only European-based companies can serve.

Per the new rules, non-European cloud vendors with a revenue of more than €10 billion can still participate, but only as non-voting members.

At the same time, CISPE introduced a Sovereignty and Strategic Autonomy Committee designed to cater to the growing demand for European cloud infrastructure and AI solutions.

AWS forced to step down from CISPE board

A CISPE spokesperson commented: “This shift comes at a critical time with concern over economic and geopolitical dependencies becoming more pronounced. The urgent need for a resilient, competitive, and independent European cloud ecosystem has never been clearer.”

CISPE promised “bold and innovative commitments to harness Europe’s diverse and fragmented cloud ecosystem” this year with a focus on serving Europe’s SMEs, be they customers or vendors.

Jacqueline van de Werken from the Netherlands’ Leaseweb, David Chassan from France’s Outscale and Lorenzo Chiriatti from Register in Italy remain on the board, together with newly elected members Alexander Windbichler of Anexia, Austria and Jake Madders representing the UK’s Hyve.

CISPE confirmed that, together with AWS, Gigas and UpCloud decided not to seek re-election either.

AWS Head of Public Policy EMEA, Stéphane Ducable, commented (via The Register): “We are proud of our contributions to CISPE’s achievements and growth over nearly a decade and remain committed to the association and its founding principles.”

Ducable added: “As a dedicated CISPE member, we will continue to actively contribute to CISPE initiatives which champion the cloud industry, support cloud customers’ choice and enhance European competitiveness.”

The changes comes shortly after it was revealed Microsoft had joined CISPE to focus on building a “constructive partnership” in Europe, despite the company’s previous cloud conflict in the region.

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