When Mark Carney outlined the priorities of his Major Projects Office (MPO), one vital word stood out: sovereignty.
As the Calgary-headquartered MPO sets about key innovation projects aimed at bolstering our nation鈥檚 future economic resilience 鈥� from nuclear reactors to high-speed rail 鈥� the PM has been keen to highlight the significance of establishing sovereign cloud capabilities as part of the nation鈥檚 digital backbone.
This would, he said 鈥渂uild compute capacity and data centres that we need to underpin Canada鈥檚 competitiveness, to protect our security, and to boost our independence and sovereignty鈥� This will give Canada independent control over advanced computing power while reinforcing our leadership in AI and quantum.鈥�
Sovereign innovation
The intrinsic link between data sovereignty and Canada鈥檚 ability to innovate is the most important technology consideration facing us today.
At a time of growing cyber threat and geopolitical tension, our organizations need secure infrastructure that can support cutting-edge innovation, while ensuring complete data integrity and operational resilience.
For many, the obvious strategy is to stick with traditional on-premises IT infrastructure 鈥撀爇eeping all data and workloads safely within the walls of the organization.
However, in the era of rapidly advancing AI, only cloud services can provide the scalable, cost-efficient future-ready features and capabilities necessary for cutting-edge innovation. 聽That鈥檚 why sovereign cloud is a priority for the MPO 鈥� and should be for all our innovative organizations.
So, what does a future-ready sovereign cloud look like? What qualities and capabilities should it have?
At SAP, we have over 20 years of experience in designing and operating sovereign clouds at scale. Here are three key considerations we highlight to executives when discussing their sovereign cloud strategies:
1) Ensure data stays within national borders
It’s vital that Canadian organizations are able to accelerate cloud-enabled innovation, while keeping within national borders, governed by national laws.
For example, 51风流Sovereign Cloud ensures that everything 鈥� from infrastructure to legal jurisdiction 鈥� remains under our customer organization鈥檚 control. We offer full data residency and teams with security credentials, local legal protection, and in-country infrastructure operated by trusted national partners.
For leaders considering the way forward, we recommend always asking 鈥渄oes the solution we鈥檙e considering enable high-impact innovation while maintaining full visibility, auditability and in-region data control?鈥�
2) Demand compliance with national regulations
The nation鈥檚 innovative organizations 鈥撀爌articularly those in the public sector responsible for elements of our critical national infrastructure 鈥� need cloud platforms that align with Canada鈥檚 rules and values.
The First Nations Information Governance Centre, for example, has emphasized the principles of Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession (OCAP) to serve as a foundation for Indigenous data sovereignty in Canada 鈥� guiding research and data collection involving First Nations.
At SAP, we share the commitment to aligning with local laws, frameworks and principles. We have, for instance, developed our Sovereign Cloud to enable compliance with the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (CCCS) Medium Cloud Security Profile and the additional Protected B High Value Asset (PBHVA) overlay, along with personal data privacy laws including PIPEDA, GDPR and Quebec Law 25.
Close scrutiny of the compliance alignment of sovereign cloud solutions is vital if organizations are to pursue cloud-driven innovation for Canada with confidence.
3. Adopt sovereign cloud fit for the AI future
To meet Mark Carney鈥檚 goal of 鈥渞einforcing our leadership in AI鈥�, Canada needs infrastructure that safeguards data sovereignty and enables unbounded future innovation.
This means being able to train, deploy and govern the very latest AI models securely, at speed, without any foreign exposure.
It also means leveraging sovereign cloud solutions into which functional innovations are continuously flowing, so organizations always have access to the latest capabilities. In this context, being locked into a vendor solution that doesn鈥檛 evolve alongside AI will prove a considerable risk.
At SAP, our innovations are continuously applied to our Sovereign Cloud, and our dedicated local teams ensure the service adapts to ever-changing security and compliance requirements. We have committed over 鈧�20 billion in additional investments by 2035 to further expand solution and regional coverage.
In our view, leaders should always insist on seeing a roadmap for the incorporation of future AI technologies into any sovereign cloud solutions they are considering.
Economic uplift
In the lead up to the federal election of early 2025, the Council of Canadian Innovators published a letter,聽signed by 150 technology executives. It urged parties to define their plans 鈥渢o build a more sovereign, more resilient, and more prosperous Canada鈥� in response to what it called the 鈥済reatest economic crisis our country has faced since the Second World War.鈥�
Developing future-fit sovereign cloud capabilities, to underpin our most innovative public and private organizations, is absolutely pivotal to addressing today鈥檚 economic challenges 鈥撀爋pening up an exciting future of sovereign innovation in which Canada will lead on the world stage.
