Workday, Inc. (NASDAQ: WDAY), the enterprise AI platform for managing people, money, and agents, today launched the Workday EU Sovereign Cloud, a new offering that gives organisations across the European Union (EU) the ability to use Workday’s AI-powered HR and finance solutions while keeping their data secure, local, and under their control.
As new European regulations emerge, such as the EU Data Act, and geopolitical uncertainty continues, businesses and public sector organisations are putting data sovereignty at the heart of their digital transformation strategies. In fact, more than 80% of business leaders cite data sovereignty as a strategic business priority.1 At the same time, leaders are faced with the challenge of adopting AI to drive business efficiencies, yet many struggle with how to adopt AI without risking compliance or ceding operational control.
Accelerating AI Adoption in a Complex Environment
Workday EU Sovereign Cloud provides a trusted EU-based environment that enables customers to deploy Workday’s leading AI for HR and finance with full data residency, local operations, and enterprise-grade scalability and security—all while meeting regulatory, privacy, and governance requirements. Customer data stays securely within the EU, with all operations, including AI processing, data center access, support, and maintenance, managed by EU-based personnel. Built-in encryption keeps information safe when it’s stored or shared, while independent audits and transparent oversight give leaders confidence.
Because AI is embedded into the core of the Workday platform, Workday EU Sovereign Cloud empowers organizations to deploy AI faster. This helps them realise measurable outcomes, such as reducing manual effort, improving decision-making, and unlocking new efficiencies, while helping to ensure their data never leaves the region.
“AI innovation is no longer a choice—it’s essential to staying competitive,” said Gerrit Kazmaier, president, product and technology, Workday. “Workday understands how quickly evolving data sovereignty requirements can make it difficult for organisations to keep pace. Workday EU Sovereign Cloud gives our customers the freedom to innovate and grow confidently—helping them harness the power of AI while knowing their data remains protected and compliant in an ever-changing world.”
Operating Continuously and Protecting What Matters Most
Workday EU Sovereign Cloud is built for resilience and trust. Its EU-based infrastructure spans multiple, geographically separated data centers to keep critical systems—like payroll, HR, finance, and planning—running. Hardware protections prevent unauthorised access, and end-to-end encryption safeguards information in transit, at rest, and in use. Oversight from an EU advisory board further strengthens transparency, compliance, and adherence to Europe’s highest sovereignty and security standards.
“As regulatory and business complexity continues to grow, we are committed to supporting our customers with the right tools and delivering business value,” said Angelique de Vries-Schipperijn, president, Workday EMEA. “With Workday EU Sovereign Cloud, our customers can operate confidently and grow responsibly—knowing their most critical data remains protected within EU borders, and that Workday is by their side helping them navigate change with trust and transparency.”
The Workday EU Sovereign Cloud is built on top of AWS’s secure cloud infrastructure, and benefits from the scale, reliability, and proven security of AWS. This added layer of security helps to ensure that all data and operations are managed by personnel under EU jurisdiction. Working with AWS, Workday is helping European organizations meet the highest standards of data protection and regulatory compliance without compromising on innovation or agility.
“At AWS, protecting what matters most—our customers’ data—is at the heart of everything we do,” said Stéphane Israël, managing director, AWS European Sovereign Cloud. “Workday is empowering organisations across Europe to innovate boldly while maintaining control and trust over their data, enabling them to focus on what they do best—driving business growth and delivering exceptional value to their customers.”
Workday EU Sovereign Cloud will be available to European customers in 2026, with other regionally tailored data sovereignty offerings to follow.
