AWS is launching a new cloud service to keep data in the EU

October 25, 2023

AWS said this new service will be separate from its other operations and will be located and operated within the EU.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is working on a new European cloud service to keep sensitive data on the continent and meet EU data security requirements.

The company said this European Sovereign Cloud service will support public sector customers and “highly regulated industries” to meet data residency and operational rules. AWS said the service will be located and operated within the EU, with only EU-resident employees having control of its operations.

AWS said this new service will be “physically and logically separate” from other existing AWS services. This European Sovereign Cloud service will also let customers keep all of their metadata – such as the roles and permissions they use to run AWS – in the EU, along with separate billing and usage metering systems.

Max Peterson, AWS’ sovereign cloud VP, said the new service will give customers an advanced set of “sovereignty controls, privacy safeguards and security features”.

“For more than a decade, we’ve worked with governments and regulatory bodies across Europe to understand and meet evolving needs in cybersecurity, data privacy and localisation, and more recently, digital sovereignty,” Peterson said.

“With this new offering, customers and partners across Europe will have more choice to achieve the operational independence they require, without compromising on the broadest and deepest cloud services that millions of customers already know and use today.”

The European Sovereign Cloud will launch in Germany and will be available to all European customers.

The new service may be a response to increased scrutiny in the EU around data being transferred outside the bloc.

Earlier this year, draft documents seen by Reuters suggest that the EU is working on new legislation that would change how multinational cloud service providers operate in Europe.

These rules would force multinationals like Amazon and Google to enter joint ventures with EU-based companies if they wish to handle sensitive data.

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