STACKIT Cloud Computing: Sovereign Infrastructure Hosted in Europe
The Schwarz Group, Europe's largest retailer with brands like Lidl and Kaufland, powers its digital operations through STACKIT, a cloud platform built for data control. In 2023, the group reported sales of 167.2 billion euros, underscoring the scale behind this provider. Launched in 2018 from internal needs, STACKIT now serves external customers seeking alternatives to U.S.-based hyperscalers. All data stays in Europe across data centers in Germany and Austria, ensuring compliance with strict EU regulations. STACKIT is the data-sovereign cloud provider of the Schwarz Group, offering scalable, innovative, and GDPR-compliant cloud services and colocation solutions hosted exclusively in Europe. This setup appeals to organizations prioritizing residency and security in cloud adoption. With expansions including a new AI-focused facility in Lübbenau, Germany, STACKIT positions itself for growing demands in compute-intensive workloads.
What is STACKIT?
STACKIT is a sovereign cloud platform from Schwarz Digits, the IT arm of the Schwarz Group. Headquartered in Neckarsulm, Germany, it started in 2018 to meet the group's internal cloud requirements amid digital transformation. What began as a private solution has grown into a public offering, competing with global providers like AWS and Azure while keeping operations firmly in Europe.
The platform runs on four high-performance data centers in Germany (Neckarsulm, Ellhofen) and Austria (Ostermiething), with a fifth under construction in Lübbenau. Services cover infrastructure as a service (IaaS) with virtual machines, GPUs, and various storage options—object, block, file, and backup. Platform services include managed Kubernetes Engine (SKE), Cloud Foundry, and databases like PostgreSQL, MongoDB, and SQL Server Flex. Additional tools handle messaging (RabbitMQ), logging and monitoring (Observability, LogMe), security (Secrets Manager, Key Management Service), confidential computing, AI model serving, and developer resources like Git.
Colocation options allow rack space in these facilities. Pricing follows a transparent, consumption-based model accessible via the STACKIT Calculator, avoiding lock-in with open standards and partnerships such as Red Hat, ServiceNow, and GFT. Recognition from ISG Provider Lens highlights its maturity. Events like Cloud X Summit showcase its ecosystem. Overall, STACKIT supports stable, scalable IT for European independence.
Who Uses STACKIT?
STACKIT targets sectors needing high security and regulatory adherence: retail, public administration, healthcare, manufacturing, finance, and non-profits. Use cases range from digital transformation and hybrid cloud setups to AI processing and sovereign data handling.
Notable clients include FC Bayern Munich and VfB Stuttgart for sports data management, and AI firm Aleph Alpha for model serving. Retailers leverage it for e-commerce backends, public bodies for citizen data systems, and manufacturers for IoT analytics. Partnerships with GFT aid automotive and industrial deployments. These examples show STACKIT's fit for performance-critical, compliance-heavy operations.
European Advantage
Based in Neckarsulm, Germany—Germany—STACKIT hosts all data in EU facilities, guaranteeing sovereignty. GDPR compliance is built-in, with certifications like ISO 27001. No data leaves Europe, addressing concerns over U.S. CLOUD Act risks. A European team provides 24/7 support in local languages, fostering trust. This setup suits the EU's digital strategy for independent infrastructure.
How STACKIT Compares
Unlike AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud, STACKIT keeps data exclusively in Europe, avoiding extraterritorial laws. It matches their IaaS and PaaS breadth but emphasizes simplicity and transparency over ecosystem breadth. Pricing via calculator offers cost visibility without surprise bills. For EU-focused firms, it provides equivalent scalability with superior sovereignty, as seen in ISG recognition. Global giants suit multinationals; STACKIT fits regulated European players.
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