AWS launches second Region in the Middle East

Amazon Web Services (AWS), the cloud arm of Amazon, has launched its second Region in the Middle East, the AWS Middle East (UAE) Region. The new AWS Region will support an average of nearly 6,000 full-time jobs annually with a planned $5 billion (AED 20 billion) investment in the local economy through 2036.

"With the launch of the AWS Middle East (UAE) Region, we are making it possible for even more customers to harness the power of the cloud to drive innovation across the UAE, while also investing in the local economy through job creation, training for highly sought-after technology skills, and education resources to further advance the UAE's strategic priorities," said Prasad Kalyanaraman, vice president of Infrastructure Services at AWS.

The new AWS Middle East (UAE) Region consists of three Availability Zones and joins the existing AWS Middle East (Bahrain) Region, which opened in July 2019. The new Region will allow local customers to store data securely in the UAE while providing customers with even lower latency across the country.

With this launch, AWS now has 87 Availability Zones across 27 geographic regions, with announced plans to launch 21 more Availability Zones and seven more AWS Regions in Australia, Canada, India, Israel, New Zealand, Spain, and Switzerland.

The new AWS Middle East (UAE) Region is the latest in AWS's ongoing investments in the country. It will add an estimated $11 billion (AED 41 billion) over the next 15 years to the UAE's gross domestic product (GDP).

"The opening of the AWS Middle East (UAE) Region is a significant milestone for Abu Dhabi and the UAE as a whole, reflecting our efforts to generate opportunities for all. The enhanced cloud capabilities enabled by AWS are expected to generate significant advantages and efficiencies that can propel businesses to success and realize major economic benefits for the country," said His Excellency Mohamed Ali Al Shorafa, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development.