NATO Signs Contract with Google Cloud for Sovereign AI

Google signed a multi-million-dollar agreement with the NATO Communication and Information Agency (NCIA). The cloud provider would supply AI-enabled sovereign cloud services for NCIA to handle some of the military alliance’s most sensitive data.

The deal tasks Google Cloud with delivering its air-gapped Google Distributed Cloud (GDC) platform to the NCIA, which plans to deploy the technology at its Joint Analysis, Training and Education Centre (JATEC) to modernise operations and support classified workloads. Google explained its GDC system would allow the alliance to run modern AI and analytics workloads in completely disconnected, highly secure environments, retaining operational control and maintaining strict digital sovereignty standards.

Google Cloud EMEA president Tara Brady noted the partnership would enable the alliance to decisively accelerate its digital modernisation efforts while maintaining the highest levels of security and digital sovereignty. NCIA CTO Antonio Calderon said the agency is committed to using next-generation tools, including AI, to enhance NATO’s operational capabilities and safeguard the alliance’s digital environment, stressing that partnership with industry is a critical component of our digital transformation strategy. In September, the NCIA signed a deal to shift mission-critical workloads onto Oracle’s cloud infrastructure in a push for greater sovereignty and security.