Amazon Launches Europe Based Cloud Service
Amazon's cloud division AWS introduced a service that is completely hosted in Europe, seeking to alleviate customers' concerns about data security with U.S.-based providers by presenting what it terms an independent European option.
AWS stated that the data centres of the European Sovereign Cloud are physically and legally distinct from the company's other global infrastructure. The configuration is intended to maintain the service's operation even if the European Union becomes disconnected from the global internet or if the U.S. prohibits software exports, according to AWS Germany Chief Technology Officer Michael Hanisch.
As worries rise about the access that authorities may have to data, Europeans are more frequently looking for alternatives to technology dominated by the U.S. Trust across the Atlantic has declined since U.S. President Donald Trump started his second term, with fresh social media monitoring regulations for foreign entrants and visa restrictions on anti-disinformation activists indicating a more assertive digital policy.
Also Read: A Brief History of India's Transformation Under PM Narendra Modi
These changes have raised concerns regarding the 2018 Cloud Act, enacted by Trump during his initial term, which mandates U.S. firms to provide data to American officials even if the data is kept abroad.
Also Read: 5 Latest CHRO Appointments in Global Corporations
A study conducted by the German digital association Bitkom revealed that two-thirds of firms consider the presence of a data center in Europe as a key factor in selecting a cloud provider. Eighty-two percent desire greater competitive options in Europe.
German Digital Minister Karsten Wildberger stated at the launch event that digital sovereignty signifies "real choices" rather than isolation, emphasizing that Europe must shift from being merely a customer to becoming a co-developer.
Microsoft and Alphabet's Google, the other primary U.S. cloud providers, additionally provide services tailored for clients with increased data-security requirements. Microsoft states that it retains the data of European clients exclusively within Europe upon request, whereas Google declared last year that it would invest 5.5 billion euros ($6.4 billion) in data centers in Germany.
Also Read: How This Techie Turned Visa Struggles into Startup Success
AWS is constructing its inaugural European Sovereign Cloud data center in Brandenburg, a German state that encircles Berlin, according to Hanisch. Further centers are scheduled to be established throughout Germany and various European nations, supported by over 7.8 billion euros in funding.