AWS has announced the launch of its European Sovereign Cloud.
Located entirely within the EU, Amazon Web Services (AWS) European Sovereign Cloud provides users with independent cloud services both physically and logically separated from other AWS regions.
Aiming to meet European regulatory demands and the sensitive data needs of enterprises within the region, the service offers the only fully featured, independently operated sovereign cloud backed by strong technical controls, assurances and legal protections, said AWS.
Leveraging the company’s technical measures and operation controls, the European Sovereign Cloud provides users with high resilience, security and availability allowing the EU’s requirements to be met.
The company also announced plans to support isolation, in-country data residency and low latency requirements through an extension of the European Sovereign Cloud footprint across the EU, starting with AWS Local Zones in Belgium, the Netherlands and Portugal.
AWS Local Zones enable data to be stored in specific geographic locations, allowing data residency requirements to be met or latency sensitive applications to be run. Users will have the option to use these dedicated zones, AWS AI Factories or AWS Outposts in the locations they choose, including their own on-premises data centres.
Stéphane Israël, managing director of the AWS European Sovereign Cloud and digital sovereignty, commented, “Europe needs access to the most robust cloud and AI technology. The expansion of AWS innovation across Europe will help supercharge customers’ growth and AI ambitions. Customers want the best of both worlds—they want to be able to use AWS’s full portfolio of cloud and AI services while ensuring they can meet their stringent sovereignty requirements. By building a cloud that is European in its infrastructure, operations, and governance, we’re empowering organisations to innovate with confidence while maintaining complete control over their digital assets.”
Amazon said it plans to invest more than €7.8 billion in the AWS European Sovereign Cloud in Germany. Launch partners include: Accenture, Adobe, Arvato Systems, NVIDIA, SAP, and more.
