Airbus has signed a multi-year deal with Iliad's cloud unit, Scaleway, to host sensitive defence and industrial data. The partnership will support the deployment of AI tools developed with French startup Mistral and aims to secure critical intellectual property. The company plans to migrate approximately 70 key applications to this infrastructure by 2028.
Airbus has officially entered a multi-year partnership with Scaleway, the cloud division of French telecommunications group Iliad, to modernize its digital infrastructure. This collaboration is specifically designed to host critical applications for the aerospace and defence sectors, providing a platform for the company to integrate artificial intelligence into its operations. By selecting a European cloud provider, Airbus is moving to strengthen its digital sovereignty, a priority for many large organizations operating in highly sensitive industries.
Strategic Focus on AI and Security
The agreement is closely tied to Airbus’s ongoing work with the French AI startup Mistral. The planemaker intends to deploy custom AI models across its aviation systems and military projects. According to Catherine Jestin, Airbus Chief Digital Officer, utilizing Scaleway’s existing infrastructure allows the company to speed up its AI implementation. The move is central to how the company plans to manage its research, development, and intellectual property while maintaining high security standards. For investors, the ability to successfully integrate AI into complex manufacturing and defence operations may impact future operational efficiency and product innovation.
Rigorous Infrastructure Selection
Scaleway secured the contract following an extensive evaluation that included over 150 technical and legal benchmarks. Airbus prioritized partners that could provide robust protection against extraterritorial laws and unauthorized data access. This decision reflects a broader trend among major European corporations that are increasingly opting for regional cloud solutions to ensure that sensitive data remains compliant with local regulatory standards. This shift also aligns with current European policy discussions regarding regional cloud and AI development frameworks, which emphasize the importance of data autonomy for strategic industries.
Migration and Future Scope
The transition to Scaleway is set to be a long-term project. Airbus aims to migrate approximately 70 critical applications to the new cloud infrastructure by the end of 2028. Beyond this initial phase, the program has the potential to expand to cover nearly 900 applications over the next five to six years. While financial details of the agreement remain undisclosed, the scale of this migration suggests a substantial commitment to updating the company's IT architecture. Investors may track the execution of this migration plan, as significant changes to core IT systems can involve operational risks, including potential delays or integration challenges that could impact long-term costs.