Gaia-X: a European initiative for greater digital sovereignty

TNO leads the Dutch Gaia-X Hub as part of the Centre of Excellence for Data Sharing & Cloud (CoE-DSC), contributing extensive expertise in data sharing, federated cloud environments, and digital sovereignty.

Data in the digital economy

Data has long been a central theme in the digital economy. At TNO, we have been active in Big Data for many years. More recently, the concept of Data Spaces has emerged as a vital framework for secure data sharing. Data Spaces are now a key focus area for Gaia-X. Rather than becoming a new provider of cloud or data services, Gaia-X aims to offer a trusted framework for both providers and users of data and cloud services.

Sector-specific projects

Many sectors are already working on agreements to share data within sector-specific chains or Data Spaces. For example, we have long been active in agriculture through projects such as Smart Dairy Farming. In the Smart Industry programme, we contribute to initiatives like the Smart Connected Supplier Network. Other sectors—such as healthcare, transport, and logistics—are also exploring secure data use to enable smarter applications that deliver greater value to users. Gaia-X is relevant across all sectors, and TNO plays a key role in launching projects tailored to each domain.

Infrastructure in focus

The largest cloud providers offer extensive platforms, but it remains unclear how European data regulations are upheld within these environments. Gaia-X addresses this by offering a model that allows users to choose their desired level of data sovereignty. It provides standards and tools that help providers demonstrate compliance with requirements such as data sovereignty, security norms, and other regulatory aspects. This is supported through Gaia-X labels.

These labels make it easier for users to benefit from rapid developments in the increasingly diverse data and cloud landscape. Verified labels offer transparency and build trust in providers, which in turn supports economic growth. They also enable a more federated approach, helping to create a more level playing field in the data and cloud markets.

Innovation needed for Gaia-X

To fulfil Gaia-X’s promise, further innovation in ICT is essential. Legal, societal, and ethical issues must also be addressed, along with the development of sustainable business models. At the international level, Gaia-X is working on agreements, standards, and conditions that bring together innovative technologies and governance processes. Other initiatives, such as Simpl and IPCEI-CIS, are also contributing to innovation in this space.

Market players will translate the standards and tools from Gaia-X and other initiatives into practical implementations. Open-source software components are available for Gaia-X. TNO contributes as a knowledge partner to these innovations, often through public-private partnerships.

Dutch organisations build cloud test environment

The Dutch Gaia-X Hub, BIT, Intermax, Info Support, SURF, AMS-IX, and TNO have jointly developed a national cloud test environment. This platform allows cloud service providers to explore collaboration and compliance with cloud standards, specifications, and regulations—such as those set by Gaia-X.

Through this test environment, Dutch organisations have contributed to a Gaia-X project called Structura-X. The goal of Structura-X is to create a Gaia-X reference implementation using only European providers. TNO led the technical integration and validation of several use cases within this federated environment. In future phases, additional cloud federation technologies may be added.

The Dutch test environment has also been linked to test environments in Italy and Spain to enable cross-border cloud federation. This European test infrastructure brings the technology into practice, allowing cloud providers to offer collaborative services within an open ecosystem. Insights from this pilot have been shared with Gaia-X and incorporated into the broader European IPCEI-CIS project, in which TNO is a participant.

Interested in joining?

Are you a company interested in joining the Gaia-X ecosystem? Get in touch via [email protected]. Join us and become one of the pioneers shaping the next generation of European cloud services.