About this guide

Contents

1. Who it is for
2. How it is made
3. Corrections
4. Ownership

"Sovereign AI" is now on almost every provider's website, and it rarely means the same thing twice. This publication separates the guarantees behind the word and compares the options on what each provider actually publishes.

Who it is for

Managing directors, CIOs, heads of IT and data protection officers at companies, often in Europe, who want AI to do real work on their data and want to keep control of where that data goes, who owns the system and which vendors they depend on.

How it is made

Every provider profile is built from the provider's own published pages. Regulatory statements come from the European Commission, Eurostat and the US Department of Justice. Each fact carries a source with the date we opened it, and the same criteria apply to every option. You can read them on the methodology page.

We update the main guide at least once a quarter and whenever a provider, a price or a rule changes materially. Every page shows when it was last updated and keeps a short log of changes.

Corrections

If you think a ranking is unfair or a fact is wrong, tell us. We correct errors quickly and note the change on the page.

Ownership

This publication is owned by the company that makes OpenLazarus, one of the providers it reviews. OpenLazarus is ranked first for one stated situation, described in the methodology, and is assessed against the same published criteria and sources as every other entry. Its limits are listed as plainly as anyone else's.

Further reading

• Guide · RegulationEU data rules for business AI: GDPR, the AI Act and US lawFour sets of rules decide where a European company can run AI and on what terms. None of them requires self-hosting, and all of them reward knowing where data goes.
• Guide · DefinitionsSovereign vs private vs local AI: what each term meansFour terms that vendors use interchangeably describe four different guarantees. Knowing which one a company needs saves money and prevents false comfort.
• Guide · CostWhat self-hosting AI costs a company in 2026Control has a price, but it is often lower than buyers expect, and the most expensive option is rarely the most sovereign. Worked examples from published European prices.