Octave Klaba, founder of OVHcloud, recently told BFM Business that the development of OVH AI Workspace is not just a possibility—it is an inevitability. This strong language contrasts with the more cautious phrasing often used in corporate statements. OVH AI Workspace is expected to combine four tools: messaging, video conferencing, file storage (drive), and chat—each enhanced with artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. These features were first previewed in June 2026 at the VivaTech trade show, where the basic applications were demonstrated. OVHcloud plans to present more details about the service at the AI Summit on November 19, with a beta version likely to follow soon. The suite will rely on AI agents that can extract information from emails and files, as well as offer end-to-end encryption for secure communications. This aligns with OVHcloud’s long-standing commitment to data sovereignty, or the idea that data should be stored and processed within a specific country or region to ensure privacy and control. This is not the first time OVHcloud has positioned itself as an alternative to American tech giants. As the first major European hosting provider, the company was a founding member of Gaia-X, a European initiative launched in 2020 to create a sovereign cloud ecosystem. However, the project eventually included major U.S. and Chinese tech firms, and some European companies, like Scaleway, left the initiative in 2022. The current climate is favorable for OVHcloud as governments and companies seek to reduce their reliance on American tech platforms. In Switzerland, an experiment is underway to move away from Microsoft 365, and in France, the DINUM (National Digital Council) approved a plan in April 2026 to gradually replace American tools in government operations. According to a study by Lecko and Ipsos, three-quarters of digital work environments currently depend on Microsoft’s tools. However, the OVH AI Workspace may not yet be a direct competitor. The June demonstration did not include tools like Word or Excel, which are central to Microsoft 365. Instead, it focused on email, calendar, file storage, and video conferencing—leaving out document creation and spreadsheet capabilities. Three key questions remain: the price of the service, its target audience (general public, small and medium enterprises, or government agencies), and the technology behind it—whether it will be developed in-house or built using open-source components like Nextcloud, OnlyOffice, or Jitsi. The answers to these questions will reveal the true ambition of the project. They are expected to be announced on November 19 at the Carrousel du Louvre.