The last year in artificial intelligence has been loud. Hype, headlines and a torrent of solutions promising everything. Yet, beneath the surface, a quieter story has unfolded. For those of us tasked with genuine responsibility – high-security sector, public sector leaders, defence and critical infrastructure – the reality is clearer: Most AI on offer is built for convenience, not security. Almost all solutions are the same – OpenAI, Athropic or Google APIs wrapped in fancy-looking wrapping.
At North Atlantic, we set out to build what was missing.
Why Sovereign AI Now?
Europe’s regulatory landscape changed fundamentally with the adoption of the EU AI Act (2024).
For the first time, high-risk AI systems in fields like healthcare, law, defence, and government face explicit, binding requirements:
End-to-end auditability
Full human oversight
Proactive risk management
Documentation ready for inspection by authorities, at any time
And, critically, the onus is on the deployer. If you run AI in a regulated context, you are responsible for compliance, regardless of what your vendor claims.
But most “AI” vendors cannot answer the fundamental questions:
Where is your data, really?
What law governs your hardware, your models, your logs?
Can you prove, beyond marketing, that you are not exposed to US Cloud Act, FISA 702, or even aggressive member state intelligence laws?
The truth: Very few can. And for organisations where failure is not an option, that is simply not good enough.
Why Being a Finnish Company Matters
No National Backdoor Law: North Atlantic Ltd operates under Finnish and EU law, so there’s no German or French-style intelligence access – and our “chain of trust” starts at HQ, not just in the server rack.
Reputation for Privacy: Finland is internationally regarded as one of the most privacy-conscious and least corrupt countries in the world. The World Press Freedom Index, Transparency International, and EU privacy comparisons all consistently rank Finland at or near the top.
No US-Style Extraterritorial Risk: North Atlantic Ltd is not subject to the US Cloud Act or FISA 702, nor are we at risk of extra scrutiny from “national security” catch-alls that exist in France and Germany.
GDPR “Purity”: Finnish data protection authorities are strict but fair, and North Atlantic Ltd is rooted in a jurisdiction that is known for real compliance, not just box-ticking.
Why Infrastructure Location Matters
When we started North Atlantic, we quickly realised that “EU-based” alone is not a guarantee. Germany, France and several other EU states have intelligence laws that allow lawful access to data and servers well beyond the GDPR baseline. Some require or allow backdoor access under certain conditions – something many builders only discover after the fact.
So we made a deliberate choice: Our core infrastructure is based in the Netherlands, a country known for strong privacy law, clear governance and a pragmatic approach to digital security.
All data, all model weights and all logs are kept under Dutch jurisdiction, with no foreign ownership, management, or silent third-party risk.
This sidesteps the enhanced lawful-access obligations found in German and French law.
No US or UK entity is involved – no Cloud Act, no FISA 702.
For our clients, this means your data stays in a European safe harbour – not just in theory, but in practice. This is a solid option, in the heart of the pan-European junction, also providing fast network access for international clientele. International businesses or govt agencies alike can safely deploy without losing sleep – we’ve studied not only international laws, but also European laws to provide you with the best viable option on the market.
What Sets This Apart?
1. No Cloud Act or FISA Exposure:
- All server and networking hardware is physically located in the Netherlands, under Dutch law.
2. CE Certification and AI Act Readiness:
Our RAG systems are built with the explicit goal of CE marking under the new AI Act requirements
As of July 2025, no competitor offers a registered, CE-ready, registered RAG stack for the SMB or mid-market.
3. Transparent, On-Prem, or Dedicated Hosting:
We deploy either fully on-premises or via single-tenant, contractually segregated European infrastructure.
We do not use public APIs or shared cloud resources in any production environment.
Vector databases, document stores and all AI model weights remain under the client’s exclusive control.
4. Full Auditability and Oversight:
Every decision, every query, and every update is logged and auditable.
We provide not just technical compliance, but the evidence and workflows that stand up to regulator and board review.
5. Scalability for Enterprise and National Needs:
Our architecture allows for clustering and horizontal scaling, including multi-site, multi-LLM, and sector-specific deployments.
We can support on-demand fine-tuning, distillation, or even full proprietary model training, using high-performance, multi-GPU servers provisioned entirely within the EU.
Who Needs This?
If your organisation cannot afford to gamble on AI:
Governments, defence, or national security actors
Regulated critical infrastructure and high-security sectors (energy, telecoms, healthcare, law, HR)
Public sector or Fortune 500 companies needing guaranteed compliance and audit
You don’t need another demo or “AI as a Service” slide deck. You need answers:
Where is my data, and who has real control?
How do I survive the next audit, regulator, or national emergency?
We built NORAI to answer these questions, not to ride the hype cycle.
The Next Phase: True European Strategic Autonomy
Europe is leading on AI regulation for a reason. The EU AI Act is just the start, not the end. The entire world is watching:
Foreign governments are now seeking truly sovereign AI, free from “backdoors” and extraterritorial legal risks
European enterprises are facing up to the fact that “good enough” compliance won’t survive the next round of enforcement
- International businesses wanting to do business in the EU – you must comply with the EU AI Act, too!
Our commitment is simple: We provide the architecture, documentation and operational support to make true sovereign AI possible – at a price point accessible for governments, defence and the “missing middle” of regulated enterprise.
The Bottom Line
The rise of true sovereign AI isn’t loud. It isn’t hype. It’s careful and quiet, but also necessary. For those who see what’s coming – and know they cannot compromise – we’re here, and we’re ready to deliver.
With us, you will get multiple 24/7 “AI workers” and internal AI tools for less than it takes you to hire and train a couple of customer service reps. Our AI doesn’t take breaks, sleep, or insist on paid holidays, either.
Talk about true sovereign and compliant AI with an SMB price tag.
Victor A. Lausas
Chief Executive Officer
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