Germany reveals cloud service Gaia-X data to achieve data sovereignty

Economy Minister Peter Altmaier revealed the service - named Gaia-X after a Greek goddess symbolising Earth - at a tech conference on October 29, 2019 in Dortmund, Germany, according to The Straits Times. He has worked on the project with officials from companies including SAP, Deutsche Telekom, and Deutsche Bank.

The new infrastructure aims to ensure data sovereignty for Germany and Europe, as it enables the sharing of data on a broader and secure basis. Gaia-X is meant to serve as a link between several different cloud services by providing a joint standard to share data. For instance, a European mobility startup could make use of information provided by transport authorities.

Germany plans to create a company-type organisation for the cloud service in the first half of 2020, according to the paper. Altmaier has in the past said the service is meant to become a European platform, but it's unclear whether more governments in the region have agreed to participate in the project, the online publication added.