What began as an exchange of content in 2022 has now developed into a strategic partnership: ALASCA e. V. and the Open Source Business Alliance (OSBA) have signed a declaration of intent to jointly promote digitally sovereign cloud infrastructures. The aim is to expand cooperation in a structured manner and drive forward the development of open cloud ecosystems in Europe.
Origin of the co-operation
The two organisations first entered into dialogue back in 2022 - united by the shared conviction that digital sovereignty in European cloud ecosystems can only be achieved through open standards, interoperability and operational open source technology. The dialogue resulted in concrete working approaches that were further consolidated over the course of 2023 - hereby including the relation to the Sovereign Cloud Stack (SCS), a project initiated by the OSBA to develop standardised, open cloud infrastructures.
Standardisation: Yaook as second reference implementation
A central joint project is the coordination of the Special Interest Group (SIG) for SCS standards, which has been led by Dr. Matthias Büchse (Cloud&Heat Technologies) since 2023. As part of the development of the certifiable standards, the lifecycle management tool Yaook was developed by ALASCA to become the second, standards-compliant reference implementation of the Sovereign Cloud Stack (SCS) standards. This step will help to strengthen the technological basis of the SCS in the long run and significantly improve its transferability to different software stacks.
Acting together - with a clear vision
Both organisations strive for non-commercial cooperation that is in line with their statutes and the applicable legal requirements - particularly with regard to antitrust and competition law. The cooperation may include the mutual exchange of knowledge, joint projects and events, new initiatives and mutual visibility in the respective networks.
While the OSBA, as an industry association, focuses primarily on overarching regulatory frameworks - for example with the SCS Standards Forum to support the standardisation of open cloud infrastructures - ALASCA runs several specific open source projects and assumes the role of a steering organisational unit for them.
These common interests and the shared vision offer a variety of starting points for complementary, practical collaboration, particularly in the development and strengthening of digitally sovereign cloud ecosystems.
A strong signal for digital sovereignty
By signing the declaration of intent, ALASCA and OSBA are sending a clear signal: Long-term cooperation and technological openness are key prerequisites for digital self-determination in Europe. Together, they are shaping a growing, interoperable ecosystem that avoids vendor lock-in, promotes transparency and strengthens control over data and infrastructures.
