Amazon Web Services (AWS) recently announced the general availability of AWS European Sovereign Cloud, a new, independent cloud for Europe that is located entirely within the EU and is physically and logically separated from other AWS regions. According to AWS, the unique approach of the AWS European Sovereign Cloud is to provide the only fully equipped, independently operated sovereign cloud backed by strict technical controls, sovereign guarantees and legal safeguards to meet the requirements of European governments and businesses regarding sensitive data. AWS also announced plans to expand the AWS European Sovereign Cloud from Germany to the entire EU to meet stringent requirements for isolation, data residency in the country and low latency. The first step will be new sovereign AWS Local Zones in Belgium, the Netherlands and Portugal.

According to AWS, its global cloud and AI infrastructure has been designed for sovereignty from the outset. It offers customers complete control over the location and movement of their data. This is supported by a range of technical measures and operational controls that ensure transparency and security, as well as AWS's global infrastructure, which is designed to provide exceptionally high resilience, security and availability. AWS was developed to meet the requirements of companies with the highest security and data protection awareness worldwide. Most customers can meet their requirements with one of the six existing AWS regions in the EU, which are sovereign from the ground up. The AWS European Sovereign Cloud was developed to offer customers additional choices so that they can meet the EU's strict sovereignty requirements without having to compromise on the robust features of AWS.

The AWS European Sovereign Cloud and the expansion of AWS Local Zones to three additional countries provide organisations with additional options for deploying workloads in the cloud with the highest level of sovereignty and operational independence, while maintaining the breadth of AWS services they rely on to innovate and transform their businesses. AWS Local Zones are a type of infrastructure that enables customers to store their data in a specific geographic location to meet data residency requirements or run latency-sensitive applications. The AWS Local Zones announced today will be part of the AWS European Sovereign Cloud, extending the sovereignty controls of the AWS Region in Germany to the entire EU. Customers with more stringent data isolation or data residency requirements have the option to use AWS Dedicated Local Zones, AWS AI Factories, or AWS Outposts in locations of their choice, including their own local data centres.

‘Europe needs access to the most robust cloud and AI technologies. The expansion of AWS innovations across Europe will help drive customer growth and AI ambitions,’ said Stéphane Israël, Managing Director of AWS European Sovereign Cloud and Digital Sovereignty. ‘Customers want the best of both worlds – they want to be able to use the entire portfolio of AWS cloud and AI services while ensuring they can meet their strict sovereignty requirements. By building a cloud that is European in terms of infrastructure, operations and governance, we enable businesses to innovate with confidence while retaining complete control over their digital assets.’

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