Amazon Web Services (AWS), the cloud computing arm of Amazon.com Inc., has unveiled plans to inject £8 billion (approximately $10.45 billion) into the U.K. over the next five years. This substantial investment aims to establish, operate, and maintain data centers across the country.
This initiative is projected to bolster the U.K.'s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by £14 billion through 2028. Additionally, it is expected to create over 14,000 full-time equivalent jobs annually within various local U.K. businesses. The new roles will span the AWS data center supply chain and include areas such as construction, facility maintenance, engineering, telecommunications, and other segments of the broader local economy.
Since AWS first inaugurated an AWS Region in the U.K. in December 2016, the company has consistently expanded its footprint. Currently, the U.K. region encompasses three Availability Zones, two WaveLength Zones, two Edge Locations, and a Regional Edge Cache.
AWS emphasized that organizations of all sizes and sectors are leveraging its cloud computing services to reduce costs, enhance agility, and accelerate innovation. Prominent AWS clients in the U.K. include AstraZeneca, Cancer Research UK, Deliveroo, easyJet, EDF, Genomics England, Just Eat, Monzo, Natural History Museum, NatWest Group, and Sainsbury's, among others.
Since 2020, AWS has invested upwards of £3 billion in the U.K., which has reportedly supported an average of more than 6,000 full-time equivalent jobs at local businesses.
With this latest investment, AWS’s cumulative planned investment in the U.K. from 2020 to 2028 will exceed £11 billion.
Tanuja Randery, Vice President and Managing Director for Europe, Middle East & Africa at AWS, noted that the upcoming years could be transformative for the U.K.’s digital and economic landscape. She highlighted that as organizations increasingly adopt technologies like cloud computing and AI, there will be significant boosts in innovation, productivity, and competition.
In other recent developments, AWS announced in June that it plans to establish an infrastructure region in Taiwan by early 2025, with an investment commitment of billions of dollars over the next 15 years. Additionally, during France’s annual "Choose France" business summit in May, Amazon revealed plans to invest over €1.2 billion ($1.3 billion) in its French operations to enhance AWS's cloud infrastructure and support opportunities in generative AI and logistics.
