This time it’s definite: the Health Data Platform, commonly known as the Health Data Hub, will leave Microsoft Azure for a SecNumCloud-certified hosting provider.
In April last year, Clara Chappaz, the former deputy minister in charge of AI and digital affairs, pledged to launch a call for bids to find a cloud services provider for the Microsoft platform.
Initially planned in two stages with an interim solution and then a target solution, the migration has been simplified. According to an official statement, the mission of expertise mobilized by the Government confirmed that it is technically feasible to immediately begin migration in full to the target solution. The tender opened in summer 2025 for the interim solution has thus been abandoned.
A new platform selected by the end of 2026
A full copy of the main database of the National Health Data System will be hosted by the end of 2026. Cloud service providers will be invited to bid under the “Public Cloud” framework, with an award expected by the end of March 2026.
The Health Data Platform was created to facilitate secure access to health data in service of research, innovation and the steering of public policies. To date, it has supported more than 233 projects and contributed to the organization of 29 calls for projects in partnership with numerous public and private actors.
The choice of Microsoft Azure, although certified as an HDS (Health Data Hosting) provider, drew strong criticism. Several associations, the CNIL and the Conseil d’État expressed concerns about dependence on a US-based actor, particularly under the Cloud Act, which authorizes US authorities to access certain data hosted by companies based in the United States.
Among public and private actors, the measure has broadly been welcomed. The Alliance for Digital Health (ANS) notes that it will provide “a clear framework for cooperation and medical artificial intelligence projects.”
Dawn Liphardt