Sovereign AI taps Accenture and Palantir to build AI data centres across Europe

Sovereign AI has selected Accenture and Palantir to help build and scale a new generation of artificial intelligence data centres across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

In a statement, Sovereign AI said the initiative is designed to create a resilient “sovereign AI” foundation for both commercial and government customers. The goal is to accelerate the deployment of AI infrastructure that is designed to meet national requirements around data control, security and reliability, using systems based on Dell’s AI Factory and Nvidia’s computing technology.

For a lay reader, sovereign AI refers to AI systems and data centres that are physically located within a country or region and operated under its laws. This is increasingly important for governments and regulated industries that cannot easily move sensitive data across borders or rely on foreign-owned infrastructure.

The company said the project will support economic security and digital resilience across the EMEA region, at a time when demand for locally controlled AI capabilities is rising. It cited recent research from Accenture showing that 60% of European organisations plan to increase investment in sovereign AI technologies over the next two years.

Palantir will provide its Chain Reaction operating system to orchestrate the buildout of the data centres, from power generation through to the deployment of computing hardware. In simple terms, this software is intended to act as a control layer for complex infrastructure projects, helping operators coordinate energy supply, construction and IT systems in real time.

Accenture, meanwhile, will lead the overall delivery and transformation effort. This includes designing operating models, improving efficiency once the centres are running and providing large-scale engineering and sales support. The division of labour reflects a common pattern in major infrastructure projects, with one partner focused on software and systems control and another on execution and integration.

“S-AI is committed to building the next generation industrial base for AI,” said Bradd Lewis, chief executive of Sovereign AI. He said that by investing in scalable data centres across the UK and wider EMEA region, the company aims to “future-proof” customers for the demands of the global digital economy.

The underlying computing platform will be based on the Dell AI Factory with Nvidia, which the company described as a secure, high-performance backbone for sovereign environments. For non-specialists, this refers to tightly integrated hardware and software designed specifically for training and running large AI models, rather than general-purpose servers.

The focus on sovereignty reflects a broader shift in how countries think about digital infrastructure. Large AI models require enormous amounts of computing power, electricity and data. Relying on overseas cloud providers can raise concerns about data access, national security and long-term resilience, particularly during geopolitical tensions or supply chain disruptions.

By building regional AI data centres, Sovereign AI and its partners are positioning themselves as an alternative to hyperscale cloud providers, offering customers more control over where data lives and how systems are governed. This can be particularly attractive to public sector bodies, defence organisations, utilities and critical industries.

The announcement follows the launch of the Accenture Palantir Business Group, a joint initiative aimed at delivering AI-driven solutions to enterprise and government clients. Sovereign AI said it plans to expand its operations beyond EMEA into the Asia-Pacific region, suggesting that the model could be replicated in other markets with similar sovereignty concerns.

Related reading

• OpenAI pilots AI programme to support primary healthcare across Africa
• OpenAI says US data centre build is over halfway to 10GW target
• Ahrefs adds custom AI prompt tracking as brands watch how chatbots talk about them

While enthusiasm for sovereign AI is growing, the approach is not without challenges. Building and operating large data centres is capital-intensive, and ensuring they remain competitive with global cloud platforms on cost and performance will be difficult. There are also questions about energy supply, as AI infrastructure can place heavy demands on local power grids.

For now, the partnership underscores how AI strategy is becoming entwined with industrial policy and infrastructure planning. As countries seek to retain control over critical digital capabilities, projects like this point to a future where where AI runs may matter almost as much as what it can do.

The Recap

• Sovereign AI picked Accenture and Palantir to build data centers.
• Centers will use Dell AI Factory and NVIDIA technologies.
• The company plans to expand operations into APAC markets.