Aws opens a new independent cloud in Germany to further armour European data

Amazon Web Services (AWS), as part of a plan to expand its cloud infrastructures in Europe, has announced that it has opened the AWS European Sovereign Cloud in Germany, a new independent cloud entirely located within the European Union, physically and logically separate from the other AWS regions. As Giulia Gasparini, Country Manager of AWS Italy, explained during a restricted meeting with journalists, 'the new structure is managed exclusively by people resident in the EU, has no critical dependencies on non-EU infrastructures, and its distinctive design allows it to continue operating indefinitely even in the event of a breakdown in communications with the rest of the world'. This will be followed by the opening of new AWS Local Zones in Belgium, the Netherlands and Portugal. The planned investment in Germany is more than EUR 7.8 billion until 2040. This is a hefty operation that will support an estimated 2,800 jobs per year and add 17.2 billion to the German GDP. The operation thus intends to further armour the data of European companies, responding to user concerns about the security of data mainly provided by US providers, by offering an independent alternative on the continent.

The AWS European Sovereign Cloud was created to offer a solution to customers who have to meet stringent digital sovereignty requirements. It is physically and logically separate from the other AWS Regions and is operated exclusively by EU residents, has no critical dependencies on non-EU infrastructures, and its distinctive design allows it to continue to operate indefinitely even in the event of a communication breakdown with the rest of the world. To support business continuity even in extreme circumstances, authorised AWS employees of the AWS European Sovereign Cloud, resident in the EU, will have independent access to a copy of the source code needed to keep the AWS European Sovereign Cloud services operational. Not only data that was already secured in Aws regions, but also meta-data (such as roles, authorisations, resource labels and configurations) will not leave Europe, including sovereign Identity and Access Management (IAM) systems, billing and consumption metering.

Ultimately, the Aws European Sovereing Cloud goes beyond a simple 'cloud region': AWS aims to isolate the European market with more stringent sovereignty criteria, comprehensive services and specific controls than typical AWS regions. In general, yna traditional cloud region (of AWS or Azure) guarantees physical residency of data in a certain location, e.g. Frankfurt or Milan. A 'sovereign' offering or one with sovereignty controls adds layers of legal and operational guarantees, not just physical geography.

Nothing, the Milan Region, active since 2020, has seen a EUR 1.2 billion expansion plan confirmed. Since 2007, Aws has invested around EUR 255 billion in the Old Continent. "The customer is sovereign, stressed Giulia Gasparini - it will be up to him to decide whether to stay in Milan for the low latency or to move the most sensitive loads to the new German sovereign region". The launch partners include giants such as SAP, Accenture and Leonardo (through Dedalus), ready to lead companies towards a digital transformation that no longer has to choose between innovation and compliance.