OVHcloud
French cloud infrastructure provider offering hosting, computing, storage, networking, and related web services.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
OVHcloud, legally OVH Groupe SA, is a French cloud computing and infrastructure provider headquartered in Roubaix. Founded in November 1999 by Octave Klaba with the assistance of family members Henry, Haline, and Miroslaw Klaba, the company began as a hosting business and expanded into dedicated servers, virtual private servers, public cloud, private cloud, storage, networking, email hosting, and related internet services. Its public brand was changed from OVH to OVHcloud in 2019 to emphasize the breadth of its cloud portfolio. The company’s business model combines infrastructure ownership with substantial in-house engineering. OVHcloud designs and assembles servers using standard components, develops its own cooling and data-center approaches, and uses modular facilities that can include container-based architecture. This model has supported a large international hosting footprint while allowing the company to compete on control of infrastructure, performance, cost, and data location. Its services are used by businesses, public-sector organizations, developers, software companies, and individual website operators. OVHcloud operates data centers and localized commercial or support activities across Europe, North America, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region. Reference material described the company in 2021 as operating 30 data centers in 19 countries and hosting approximately 300,000 servers. It has also been associated with a large OpenStack deployment, extensive email-hosting operations, and a network capacity of more than 20 Tbit/s. According to W3Techs, OVH-hosted infrastructure represented approximately 3.1% of websites at the time cited by the reference material. The company has positioned itself as a European alternative to the largest global hyperscale cloud providers. Its messaging emphasizes control of infrastructure, European data sovereignty, localized service, open-source technologies, and compliance for sensitive workloads. This positioning has become particularly relevant for public administrations and regulated organizations seeking cloud services subject to European or national security requirements. In March 2025, OVHcloud reported that its Bare Metal Pod platform had obtained France’s SecNumCloud 3.2 qualification from the French National Agency for Information Systems Security, supporting its strategy around highly secure and sovereign cloud infrastructure. OVHcloud has pursued international expansion through capital investment, partnerships, and additional regional capacity. In October 2016, it announced a funding round intended to support international growth. In October 2021, the company filed for an initial public offering and became listed on Euronext Paris under the symbol OVH; it joined the SBF 120 index in December 2021. In August 2023, OVHcloud was announced to be in exclusive negotiations to acquire gridscale GmbH, a Cologne-based edge-computing software company. In March 2025, OVHcloud US announced a Local Zone in Seattle designed to reduce latency for customers in the Pacific Northwest. OVHcloud has also faced operational and reputational challenges. A major fire at its Strasbourg facility in March 2021 destroyed the SBG2 data center and disrupted services at the other Strasbourg sites. Data stored in SBG2, including backups, was lost. The incident generated customer litigation and led to a 2023 court order requiring payments to two customers whose data had been lost, while more than 130 other customers were reported to be involved in collective legal action. Earlier, in 2010, OVH became involved in a dispute over hosting WikiLeaks after Amazon stopped hosting the organization. A French court declined to order OVH to stop hosting WikiLeaks. Despite these incidents, OVHcloud remains an active listed provider with a broad infrastructure portfolio and a distinctive European sovereignty and vertically integrated operating model.
History
OVHcloud was established in November 1999 by Octave Klaba with the help of three family members, Henry, Haline, and Miroslaw Klaba. The business initially developed as an internet-hosting company, providing infrastructure for websites and online services. It later broadened its portfolio to include dedicated servers, virtual private servers, email hosting, domain services, networking, storage, and cloud computing. A defining feature of OVHcloud’s development has been its effort to retain control over the underlying infrastructure. Rather than relying exclusively on third-party data-center capacity, the company has designed and operated its own facilities, developed custom server configurations from standard components, and used modular approaches to data-center construction. Its container-based architecture and in-house engineering were presented as ways to increase deployment flexibility and manage infrastructure economics. The company’s Beauharnois, Quebec facility became a notable example of this operating model. By the late 2010s, OVH had become one of the larger hosting providers in the world. It was reported to serve more than one million customers, operate one of the largest OpenStack deployments, and maintain network capacity exceeding 20 Tbit/s. Its email-hosting activity was also described as among the largest globally. In 2019, the company adopted OVHcloud as its public brand, signaling a strategic shift from an identity centered on web hosting toward a broader cloud infrastructure proposition. The company expanded internationally through data-center construction, localized support, and external financing. In 2016, OVH raised capital to support international expansion. It also sponsored Let’s Encrypt, the free TLS certificate authority, and used Super Micro Computer as a hardware supplier. Reference material from 2021 described a network of 30 data centers in 19 countries hosting roughly 300,000 servers, with customer-facing operations across Europe, North America, Africa, and Singapore. OVHcloud’s European identity became increasingly important to its market positioning. It presented its services as an alternative to the largest American hyperscalers, emphasizing European data control, national and regional compliance, open-source technology, and the ability to locate workloads in specific jurisdictions. This approach targeted companies and public bodies concerned about data sovereignty and strategic autonomy. The company’s 2025 SecNumCloud 3.2 qualification for Bare Metal Pod further supported its efforts to serve sensitive and regulated workloads. OVHcloud became a public company in 2021 after filing for an initial public offering and listing on Euronext Paris under the symbol OVH. It entered the SBF 120 index in December of that year. Its growth strategy subsequently included cloud and edge-computing expansion. In 2023, the company entered exclusive negotiations to acquire gridscale GmbH, a Cologne-based edge-computing software business. In 2025, OVHcloud US announced a Seattle Local Zone to improve regional performance for customers in the Pacific Northwest. The company’s history also includes major operational and legal challenges. In December 2010, OVH became the hosting provider for WikiLeaks after Amazon stopped hosting the organization. The arrangement provoked political discussion in France, including an inquiry into whether the hosting could be prohibited. A court declined to issue an order requiring OVH to stop hosting WikiLeaks. In March 2021, a fire at the Strasbourg campus destroyed SBG2, damaged SBG1, and disrupted services at the other Strasbourg facilities. Data and backups held in SBG2 were lost. Subsequent customer claims resulted in a 2023 order requiring payments to two customers, while a larger group of customers continued collective legal action. Despite these setbacks, OVHcloud remains active as a listed, internationally operating cloud infrastructure provider.
- 2025
Seattle Local Zone announced
[2]OVHcloud US expands regional infrastructure with a Seattle Local Zone intended to reduce latency in the Pacific Northwest.
- 2025
Bare Metal Pod receives SecNumCloud 3.2 qualification
[2]ANSSI qualifies the Bare Metal Pod platform under France’s SecNumCloud 3.2 security framework.
- 2023
Negotiations to acquire gridscale
[1]OVHcloud enters exclusive negotiations to acquire the German edge-computing software company gridscale GmbH.
- 2021
Strasbourg data-center fire
[1]A fire destroys SBG2 and disrupts services at OVH’s Strasbourg campus, with customer data and backups stored in SBG2 lost.
- 2021
Euronext Paris listing
[1]OVHcloud files for an IPO and becomes publicly traded in Paris under the ticker OVH.
- 2021
Joins the SBF 120
[1]OVHcloud is added to France’s SBF 120 index in December.
- 2019
Public rebranding as OVHcloud
[1]The company adopts OVHcloud as its public brand name as its offering expands beyond traditional hosting.
- 2016
Capital raised for international expansion
[1]OVH announces a funding round intended to finance further international growth.
- 2010
OVH hosts WikiLeaks
[1]OVH becomes WikiLeaks’ hosting provider after Amazon stops hosting the organization, prompting political and legal scrutiny in France.
- 1999
OVH is founded in France
[1]Octave Klaba establishes OVH in November with support from three family members. The business begins in internet hosting.
Products and positioning
A European cloud infrastructure provider emphasizing data sovereignty, control of physical infrastructure, open technologies, localized service, and secure cloud environments for businesses and public-sector organizations.
Cloud computing
Public Cloud
OVHcloud’s public-cloud portfolio provides on-demand computing, storage, networking, and related infrastructure services for developers and organizations. It is positioned as an alternative to hyperscale providers, with emphasis on European data location, transparent infrastructure, and integration with open technologies.
Cloud computing
Private Cloud
Private Cloud services provide dedicated or isolated cloud environments for organizations requiring greater control over infrastructure, workload placement, governance, and compliance. The offering supports enterprise and public-sector use cases where shared public infrastructure may not meet operational or regulatory requirements.
Bare-metal infrastructure
Dedicated Servers
Dedicated servers give customers physical machines reserved for their workloads. They are used for websites, applications, databases, gaming, storage, and other workloads requiring predictable hardware resources, direct control, or specialized configurations.
Virtual infrastructure
VPS
OVHcloud virtual private servers provide virtualized computing environments hosted on shared physical infrastructure. They occupy a middle ground between conventional shared hosting and dedicated servers, supporting websites, development environments, applications, and small business workloads.
Web services
Web Hosting
Web-hosting plans provide managed infrastructure for websites and online services. This business formed part of OVH’s original identity and remains connected to its domain, email, database, and site-management services.
Cloud storage
Object and Block Storage
OVHcloud storage services support persistent data for applications, backups, archives, media, and cloud-native workloads. Object and block approaches address different requirements, from scalable unstructured storage to persistent volumes attached to compute environments.
Hosted communications
Email Hosting
Email hosting provides hosted mailboxes and associated infrastructure for organizations and individuals. Reference material describes OVH’s email-hosting activity as one of the larger operations of its kind, alongside its broader internet-hosting business.
Secure cloud infrastructure
Bare Metal Pod
Bare Metal Pod is a highly secure cloud platform based on dedicated physical infrastructure. In March 2025 it obtained SecNumCloud 3.2 qualification from ANSSI, supporting OVHcloud’s strategy for sensitive, regulated, and sovereignty-focused workloads.
Controversies
2021
Strasbourg data-center fire and data loss
A fire destroyed the SBG2 data center in Strasbourg and disrupted other facilities at the campus. Customer data and backups stored in SBG2 were lost. The incident led to customer claims, including a 2023 order requiring OVHcloud to pay €250,000 to two customers and reported collective litigation involving more than 130 others.
2010
WikiLeaks hosting controversy
OVH hosted WikiLeaks after Amazon stopped doing so. The arrangement generated political pressure in France, including an inquiry into whether the hosting could be prohibited. A court declined to order OVH to stop hosting WikiLeaks.
Marketing campaigns
- 2016Let’s Encrypt sponsorship
Worldwide
OVH was identified as a sponsor of Let’s Encrypt, supporting the availability of free TLS certificates and broader adoption of encrypted web connections.
Outcome. The partnership aligned OVH with open internet-security infrastructure and automated certificate deployment.
Brand decisions
2025
Seattle Local Zone expansionProduct launchBackground
Customers in the Pacific Northwest required lower-latency access to cloud infrastructure and regional connectivity.
Action taken
OVHcloud US introduced a Local Zone in Seattle.
Aftermath
The expansion was intended to improve processing speed and connectivity for regional cloud applications.
2025
SecNumCloud qualification for Bare Metal PodOtherBackground
European public-sector and regulated customers increasingly require cloud platforms that meet strict national security and sovereignty requirements.
Action taken
OVHcloud obtained SecNumCloud 3.2 qualification from ANSSI for its Bare Metal Pod platform.
Aftermath
The qualification strengthened OVHcloud’s positioning for sensitive workloads and strategic-autonomy use cases.
2023
Negotiated acquisition of gridscaleM&ABackground
OVHcloud was seeking to expand its cloud and edge-computing capabilities through a transaction involving gridscale GmbH.
Action taken
OVHcloud entered exclusive negotiations to acquire the Cologne-headquartered edge-computing software company.
2021
Initial public offering and Euronext listingOtherBackground
OVHcloud sought public-market access while continuing international infrastructure investment and cloud expansion.
Action taken
The company filed for an IPO and listed on Euronext Paris under the symbol OVH.
Aftermath
OVHcloud became a publicly traded company and later joined the SBF 120 index in December 2021.
2019
Rebrand from OVH to OVHcloudStrategyBackground
The company had expanded from web hosting into public cloud, private cloud, dedicated infrastructure, storage, networking, and related services.
Action taken
OVH adopted OVHcloud as its public brand name.
Aftermath
The rebrand clarified the company’s ambition to operate as a broad cloud infrastructure provider rather than solely as a hosting company.
Recent events
OVHcloud announces planned AI model launch[3]
Reported:
OVHcloud’s CEO said the company plans to launch an AI model in early 2027.
OVHcloud announces a bare-metal Kubernetes service[4]
Reported:
OVHcloud announced that it would offer a bare-metal Kubernetes service; the source describes this as a plan, not a completed launch.
- Unconfirmed
OVH rebrands as OVHcloud[4]
Reported:
OVH rebranded as OVHcloud and announced global ambitions at its 20th anniversary Summit meeting in Paris.
OVHcloud acquired BuyDRM[5]
OVHcloud announced that it had acquired BuyDRM, a US company specializing in security technologies for digital rights management applications; BuyDRM's team and founders joined OVHcloud's workforce.
C12 Quantum Electronics completes $10 million seed round[6]
Reported:
French quantum startup C12 Quantum Electronics announced that it completed a $10 million seed funding round led by 360 Capital, with several other investors participating.
Atos and OVHcloud partner on European-led cloud services[7]
Reported:
Atos and OVHcloud announced a partnership to offer fully European-led cloud computing services. Atos will provide cybersecurity software hosted by OVHcloud.
OVHcloud selects 2CRSi to supply servers for Asian Public Cloud offering[8]
Reported:
2CRSi announced that OVHcloud selected it to supply servers for its Public Cloud offering in Singapore and Australia. The first deliveries were scheduled for December 2020.
Sources8 sources
- 1OVHclouden.wikipedia.org
- 2OVHcloud official websiteovhcloud.com
- 3OVHcloud宣布计划推出人工智能模型news.google.com
- 4OVHcloud宣布推出裸金属Kubernetes服务datacenterdynamics.com
- 5OVHcloud收购BuyDRMstreamingmedia.com
- 6C12 Quantum Electronics完成1000万美元种子轮融资finance.sina.com.cn
- 7Atos and OVHcloud partner on European-led cloud servicestelecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com
- 8OVHcloud选定2CRSi为其亚洲公共云服务供应服务器finanznachrichten.de
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