European Defence Agency select Sopra Steria, CDE and CEA for framework contract

Sopra Steria Benelux, Cloud Data Engine (CDE) and the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) are proud to announce their selection by the European Defence Agency (EDA) for the "Service Framework Contract in Cascade to Support the Implementation of the Action Plan on Artificial Intelligence for Defence."

This prestigious contract reaffirms the commitment of the stakeholders to advancing AI-driven defence capabilities in Europe, bolstering security, innovation, and technological sovereignty.

"As a key partner for digital transformation to multiple armed forces across Europe, Sopra Steria is committed to delivering secure and innovative AI solutions that strengthen strategic autonomy of European defence. More specifically, this framework contract is managed by Sopra Steria Belgium (Brussels), who is a recognised consulting and digital services provider to the EU institutions. Our solid track record is complemented by the expertise of CDE in dataspaces and the technological leadership of CEA that will be essential to the success of this project," said Cédric Genin, Consulting Director for Aerospace, Defence and Security, Sopra Steria.

“This contract award highlights CDE’s expertise to promote, design and develop cutting-edge technology and architectures for decentralized interoperability of data, serving the needed competitive advantages for sovereign defence and AI. As a pioneer in decentralized data management and compliance monitoring, CDE brings key solutions to help Europe’s defence capabilities remain innovative, resilient, and technologically autonomous." said Alban Schmutz, CEO of Cloud Data Engine.

"With its experience in sovereign assignments and its expertise in operational research for defence, CEA plays a pivotal role in transforming a strategic need for AI-based functionalities into concrete operational solutions for national and European security. Our collaboration with Sopra Steria and Cloud Data Engine brings together a unique blend of technical excellence and strategic vision for defence AI”, said Nizar Touleimat, Director of the Research & Innovation programme, Smart Digital Systems for Security & Defence, CEA.

Project team at the launch of the first study at the 58th CapTech INFO meeting in Bremen, Germany, March 11th-12th 2025.
C. Genin and F. Kariger (Sopra Steria, left), I. Monogioudis (EDA, center), A. Schmutz and O. Tirat (CDE, right)

By joining forces Sopra Steria, CDE and CEA are playing a crucial role in strengthening Europe's defense data sovereignty. The consortium will deliver scalable and secure AI solutions, ensuring compliance with stringent European regulations in cybersecurity, ethics, data protection and sustainability, while enabling greater AI data-sharing for military and strategic applications.

The first deliverable of the contract in 2025 will shape the architecture of the European AI defence data space to support the broad variety of stakeholders data from industry or European Members States, based on a large consultation of stakeholders.