The change is due by the end of 2026 for customers in the European Union and European Free Trade Association, with existing users moving automatically
Microsoft plans to bring Claude processing in Copilot into its EU Data Boundary by the end of 2026.
Microsoft plans to bring processing for Anthropic’s Claude models in Microsoft Copilot into its EU Data Boundary by the end of 2026, extending its regional data-processing commitments to those models.
The change covers customers in the European Union (EU) and European Free Trade Association (EFTA), including organizations using Claude through Copilot Cowork.
Charles Lamanna, Executive Vice President, Copilot, Agents, and Platform at Microsoft, said European customers wanted “the latest AI without trading off the data processing/residency commitments they rely on.”
Claude models already support work across Copilot Chat, Microsoft 365 apps, Copilot Cowork and Copilot Code. The announcement extends the regional processing arrangements for those models, which sit alongside other providers’ models within Copilot’s governed experience.
Lamanna also referenced Copilot’s “auto” model router as part of that experience.
Regional processing commitments extend to Claude
Microsoft’s EU Data Boundary is its commitment to store and process data for Microsoft 365 and other covered online services within the EU and EFTA.
For eligible Microsoft 365 customers in those regions, Microsoft says the commitment is included in contractual terms without a separate purchase or opt-in. Claude models will join other models, including Microsoft-operated models, already processing data within the boundary.
Microsoft identifies regulated industries and public sector organizations among the customers the change is intended to support as they adopt AI services.
The company also offers in-country residency for Microsoft 365 data at rest in 10 countries across the EU and EFTA. That option concerns where data is stored, while the Claude announcement extends processing commitments across the regional boundary.
Microsoft says Claude models in Copilot are covered by its enterprise data protection commitments and that customer data is not used to train generative AI foundation models.
Administrators retain control over access
Claude access remains disabled by default in the EU and EFTA. Administrators can enable it for everyone in an organization or restrict it to selected users and groups through the Microsoft 365 admin center.
Organizations that have not enabled Claude can do so before the regional processing change becomes available. Processing will move into the EU Data Boundary once the new arrangements are in place.
Microsoft has committed to availability by the end of 2026 and says it will provide further details closer to the rollout.
For organizations already using Claude through Copilot, Lamanna says: “Organizations already using Claude models in Copilot won’t need to take any action. Once available, processing for these models will move into the EU Data Boundary automatically.”
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