AWS to invest 7.8 billion euros in sovereign cloud in Germany  

On May 15, 2024, AWS, Amazon’s cloud subsidiary, announced it was investing 7.8 billion euros over 15 years in its European “sovereign” cloud. The new solution, named “AWS European Sovereign Cloud,” should be available at the end of 2025. According to AWS, it shows “long-term commitment to meeting Europe’s digital sovereignty needs.”

The massive investment will make it possible to build a comprehensive cloud computing infrastructure, set up in the state of Brandenburg in eastern Germany. In addition to direct hires on AWS sites, the project will create 2,800 new jobs in local businesses across the supply chain.

According to AWS, the “sovereign” cloud must “meet strict requirements in terms of operational autonomy and data residency within the EU, with entirely local infrastructure, in the EU, and operated independently from other regions.” The web giant thus claims its offer will protect European data from extraterritorial laws, including the US Cloud Act. 

Authorizing (or not) the processing of the most sensitive European data, particularly government data, by “sovereign” solutions operated (or co-operated) by US giants is the subject of heated debate. France would rather curtail such processing to exclusively European players, as per the SecNumCloud framework. Germany and the Netherlands are arguing for a more flexible stance, in order to remain open to the most technologically advanced solutions.