Amazon Web Services (AWS) is set to open data centers in Spain, enabling AWS users to run workloads and store data in Spain with lower latency.
According to the company, initially the new AWS Europe (Spain) Region will consist of three Availability Zones.
It will open late 2022 or early 2023 and enable developers, startups, enterprises, government organisations, education and non-profits to run applications and serve end users from data centers located in Spain. By the time the region launches, AWS plans to offer more than its current portfolio, which currently includes 165 services.
Responding to demand
The new region is opening in direct response to growing trend of digital transformation and cloud computing within businesses, educational institutions, public administrations and government agencies in Spain, AWS states.
It will aid in customers meeting data residency requirements and enable them to retain control over the location of data. In addition, customers building applications that comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will have access to another secure AWS infrastructure region in the European Union (EU).
AWS is Esquema Nacional de Seguridad (ENS) High certified, so its infrastructure meets security and compliance for government agencies and public organisations in Spain.
Developing the economy
AWS vice president of global infrastructure and customer support, Peter DeSantis, says the new AWS Region in Spain will boost the economy by driving more jobs in tech, while also aiding organisations already utilising cloud solutions.
In an official statement, Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sanchez said, “Cloud computing, in addition to promoting technological progress in the private sector, will enable the public administration to improve the services it provides to citizens. A secure cloud is an essential tool for the development of our economy, as well as for the generation of jobs in our country.”
Continuing expansion for AWS
This is the latest sign of AWS’s investment in the Spain. In 2012 AWS launched an AWS Edge location in Madrid, and in 2014 the company opened an AWS office.
In 2016 AWS launched its first AWS Direct Connect location, and in 2017 it delivered an additional Edge location and AWS Direct Connect location in Madrid. AWS has also had a presence in Barcelona since 2018.
At present, more than two thirds of companies listed on the IBEX35, the Spanish stock market index, are using AWS cloud technology, according to Werner Vogels, Amazon chief technology officer and vice president.
According to Vogels, the Spanish-based AWS Partner Network (APN) welcomed the arrival of the region.
This is the seventh region for AWS in Europe. Other regions are Dublin, Frankfurt, London, Paris, Stockholm and Milan, which will open in early 2020.
The company has 69 Availability Zones across 22 infrastructure regions worldwide. AWS plans to open 13 more Availability Zones and four more Regions in Indonesia, Italy, South Africa and now Spain.
33 minutes ago
