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Azure OpenAI service in europe

Calvin Davidson 20 Reputation points
2025-05-02T13:23:20.5833333+00:00

We’ve recently created an Azure OpenAI Service in the West Europe region, and on top of that in Azure AI Foundry we created a gpt-4o-mini implementation with the Worldwide Standard deployment type. Since we may send personal data (PII) to the service, we need to ensure full GDPR compliance by keeping all data within the Europe.

My questions are:

Is all input and output data guaranteed to stay in Europe when using an OpenAI resource in West Europe with a “Worldwide Standard” implementation?

and If not, which deployment types or settings should we choose to enforce strict EU data residency?

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  1. Prashanth Veeragoni 4,190 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff
    2025-05-02T16:56:00.59+00:00

    Hi Calvin Davidson,

    No — when using "Worldwide Standard" as the deployment type, data may leave the EU. To enforce strict EU data residency, you must choose a deployment type that guarantees regional data processing and storage — specifically:

    The "Worldwide Standard" deployment type (even in West Europe) uses the default OpenAI model endpoints and may route data outside the EU, including the US, for processing or logging, as per Microsoft's and OpenAI’s service integration agreements.

    This violates strict GDPR residency rules when sending PII or sensitive data.

    ->Use the "EU Sovereign Cloud" or "EU Region Standard" if available:

    To guarantee that all data (input/output + logs) stays within Europe, you must:

    Use a Sovereign Cloud (like Microsoft EU Data Boundary)

    ·       Azure EU Data Boundary ensures all customer data is:

    o   Stored and processed exclusively within the EU

    o   Supported by Microsoft’s compliance commitments for GDPR and local EU regulations

    Check if "Azure OpenAI" supports EU Data Boundary in your tenant here.

    Hope this helps. Do let us know if you any further queries.

    If this answers your query, do click Accept Answer and Yes for was this answer helpful. And, if you have any further query do let us know.

    Thank you!

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