American eCommerce giant Amazon’s cloud unit Amazon Web Services (AWS) is planning to open data centers in the UAE in the first half of 2022. The new AWS Middle East (UAE) Region will have three Availability Zones and will be AWS’s second region in the Middle East.
The announcement by AWS has been welcomed by the Dubai Investment Development Agency (Dubai FDI), the Dubai Economy’s investment promotion agency.
The move adds to the momentum of cloud adoption in the Middle East by allowing consumers to execute programs and store data locally. This will give companies access to advanced cloud services and technologies to accelerate innovation including computing, storage, networking, database, analytics, machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT), mobile services, and more.
The UAE’s focus on supporting technology innovation has aided the development, making it a prestigious global hub for entrepreneurs, e-governments, and international corporations.
Fahad Al Gergawi CEO- Dubai FDI
“Our strategic location facilitates digital communication around the world in terms of speed, security, and infrastructure readiness. AWS’s expansion in the UAE is testimony to our positive growth environment and ability to attract strategic investment and comes as part of a fruitful and continuous collaboration over the years. Dubai FDI has supported AWS ever since its first investment in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) office that the company opened in Dubai in December 2016. The opening of AWS’s data centers next year builds on this relationship and a new stage in the journey of excellence that has already seen the opening of two AWS Direct Connect locations and two Amazon CloudFront Edge locations in the UAE.”
Mr. Vinod Krishnan, Head of the Middle East and North Africa, AWS, and advisory council member of the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy said, “We are excited to launch the AWS cloud infrastructure in the UAE in the first half of next year, which will benefit organizations of all sizes in the UAE and across the region. The upcoming launch builds on the continued AWS investment in the country and our support for its focus on building a thriving global hub for technology innovation.”
AWS’s establishment of cloud infrastructure in the UAE reinforces the country’s significant place as the first choice for investors looking to invest in the region and expand globally, with a direct regional market comprising one-third of the world’s consumers.
