Amazon Web Services (AWS) is opening three new data centers in Switzerland on 9 November. This marks the launch of the new infrastructure region AWS Europe (Zurich), as the Amazon subsidiary reported in a press release. The tech giant with headquarters in Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington, has not announced the precise location for security reasons. It only communicates it is within the Zurich area.
The new infrastructure region will enable local AWS customers with data residency requirements to store data securely in Switzerland. They will benefit from even lower latency across the country and be connected to a broader range of services. According to Prasad Kalyanaraman, vice president of Infrastructure Services at AWS, startups and mid-sized businesses, enterprises and government organizations are all engaging with AWS services. AWS currently has more than 10,000 customers in Switzerland.
Over the next 15 years, AWS will reportedly be investing a further 5.9 billion francs in the AWS Europe (Zurich) Region. This capital expenditure will go towards the construction of data centers as well as operational expenses and the purchase of goods and services from regional businesses. AWS estimates that this will support an average of more than 2,500 full-time jobs annually during this time. The company also predicts these activities will add approximately 16.3 billion francs to Switzerland’s GDP during the next 15 years.
AWS has been active in Switzerland for many years. AWS opened offices Zurich in 2016 and Geneva in 2017.
