AWS Region will enable customers to run
workloads and securely store customer content in the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia while serving end users with even lower latency
New Region reflects AWS’s long-term commitment
to meeting high demand for cloud services in the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia and across the Middle East
AWS plans to invest more than $5.3 billion
(approx. 19.88 billion SAR) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
AWS will establish two new innovation centers
and investment will include upskilling students, local developers,
and the next generation of local talent at any stage in their
career with access to cloud computing skills
Amazon Web Services (AWS), an Amazon.com
company (NASDAQ: AMZN), today announced it will launch an AWS
infrastructure Region in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2026. The
new AWS Region will give developers, startups, entrepreneurs, and
enterprises, as well as healthcare, education, gaming, and
nonprofit organizations, greater choice for running their
applications and serving end users from data centers located in the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ensuring that customers who want to keep
their content in-country can do so. As part of its long-term
commitment, AWS is planning to invest more than $5.3 billion
(approx. 19.88 billion Saudi riyal) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
For more information about AWS Global Infrastructure, visit
aws.amazon.com/about-aws/global-infrastructure.
“Today’s announcement supports the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s
digital transformation with the highest levels of security and
resilience available on AWS cloud infrastructure, helping serve
fast-growing demand for cloud services across the Middle East,”
said Prasad Kalyanaraman, vice president of Infrastructure Services
at AWS. “The new AWS Region will enable organizations to unlock the
full potential of the cloud and build with AWS technologies like
compute, storage, databases, analytics, and artificial
intelligence, transforming the way businesses and institutions
serve their customers. We look forward to helping Saudi Arabian
institutions, startups, and enterprises deliver cloud-powered
applications to accelerate growth, productivity, and innovation and
spur job creation, skills training, and educational
opportunities.”
“The partnership with AWS and their announcement of an AWS
Region, backed by a $5.3 billion investment, ignites a new era of
technological excellence and innovation for the Kingdom,” said His
Excellency Engineer Abdullah Alswaha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Minister of Communications and Information Technology. “This cloud
Region demonstrates a firm commitment to research, innovation, and
empowering entrepreneurs to achieve prosperity for our region and
the world.”
The new AWS Region will consist of three Availability Zones at
launch, adding to the existing 105 Availability Zones across 33
geographic regions globally. With today’s announcement, AWS has
plans to launch 18 more Availability Zones and six more AWS Regions
in Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,
Thailand, and the AWS European Sovereign Cloud. AWS Regions consist
of Availability Zones that place infrastructure in separate and
distinct geographic locations. Availability Zones are located far
enough from each other to support customers’ business continuity,
but near enough to provide low latency for high availability
applications that use multiple Availability Zones. Each
Availability Zone has independent power, cooling, and physical
security and is connected through redundant, ultra-low-latency
networks. AWS customers focused on high availability can design
their applications to run in multiple Availability Zones to achieve
even greater fault tolerance.
AWS offers the broadest and deepest portfolio of services,
including analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), compute,
database, Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning (ML), mobile
services, storage, and other cloud technologies. Customers from
startups to enterprises to public sector organizations and
nonprofits will be able to use advanced technologies from the
world’s leading cloud to drive innovation, meet data residency
preferences, achieve lower latency, and serve demand for cloud
services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and across the Middle
East.
Amazon’s Commitment to Developing Digital Skills
To support the growth in cloud adoption across the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia, AWS will continue to scale its training programs and
help accelerate the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 goal of
empowering women to increase participation in the workforce. To
help support this goal, AWS is launching a new upskilling program,
“AWS Saudi Arabia Women’s Skills Initiative,” in partnership with
Skillsoft Global Knowledge. AWS will train up to 4,000 women on AWS
Cloud Practitioner Essentials, at no charge, through classroom
trainings with AWS-certified professionals. This initiative is
designed to help women jumpstart a career in cloud computing.
In addition, AWS will continue to invest in upskilling students,
local developers and technical professionals, nontechnical
professionals, and the next generation of IT leaders in the Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia through offerings such as AWS Academy, AWS Educate,
AWS re/Start, and AWS Skill Builder. These offerings help learners
of all backgrounds and experiences prepare for careers in the
cloud. From higher education courses to full-time workforce
development programs to interactive, game-based learning content,
AWS Training and Certification provides individuals with training
in the ways they like to learn.
AWS will establish two new innovation centers and provide
startups in the Middle East and North Africa with technical
mentorship and trainings on AWS technologies such as AI and ML. AWS
will also make grants available to fund graduate student research
and provide free AWS Skill Builder subscriptions for up to 4,000
individuals working for small and medium enterprises established in
the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. AWS Skill Builder is a digital
learning center with more than 600 free courses in up to 14
languages, and covering more than 30 AWS services from foundational
to advanced levels. By expanding AWS’s commitment to free digital
training, AWS will help accelerate the number of diverse candidates
who enter the talent pipeline. Building on this commitment, AWS
will also continue to scale its training programs and accelerate
the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 goal of empowering women
to increase participation in the workforce.
AWS Academy will provide higher education institutions with
ready-to-teach cloud computing curriculum that prepares students to
pursue industry-recognized certifications and in-demand cloud jobs.
Eleven higher education institutions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
have incorporated AWS Academy courses into their curricula,
including the College of Telecom and Electronics, Communications
and Information College in Riyadh, the Digital Technical College
for Girls in Riyadh, King Khalid University, Majmaah University,
Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, and more. AWS is committed to
removing barriers to cloud skills education, investing hundreds of
millions of dollars to provide free cloud computing skills training
to 29 million people globally by 2025.
As part of a continued commitment to contribute to the
development of digital skills, AWS and Amazon recently launched
Amazon Academy to provide training and certifications in cloud
technology, logistics, and retail, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The initiative complements the Human Capability Development Program
of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, and aims to train
over 30,000 Saudi citizens, provide 35,000 certification vouchers,
and will also offer 100 internship opportunities. Amazon Academy
will provide transformative training and certifications, free of
cost to the participants, to elevate in-demand competencies and
equip Saudi talent for jobs of the future. The program will empower
the next generation of Saudi youth, entrepreneurs, and
professionals at any stage of their career to achieve success
across various in-demand skills such as cloud computing, logistics,
and leadership. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of
Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) will collaborate
with Amazon through MCIT’s Future Skills initiative to encourage
Saudi talent to sign up for the skills development academy, which
is operated by Saudi Digital Academy (SDA) and TUWAIQ Academy.
Amazon Academy combines Amazon’s global technological and
operational expertise with its understanding of the Saudi talent
landscape to deploy cutting-edge skills training. Certifications
under the cloud computing path will include basic and advanced to
specialized levels across cloud architecting, AI, ML, data
analytics, and other job-ready technology certifications to propel
professionals and companies towards a digital future.
And, as part of Amazon’s continued commitment to contribute to
upskilling women, Amazon launched a hiring program for female
delivery associates - creating opportunities for upskilling and
enabling women in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to build successful
careers in e-commerce logistics.
Customers welcome the AWS Region in the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia
Organizations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are among the
millions of active customers using AWS in more than 190 countries
around the world. Enterprises in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia choose
AWS to innovate, drive cost efficiencies, and accelerate launch
time. Organizations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that choose AWS
to run their workloads to accelerate innovation, increase agility,
and drive cost savings include Abdul Latif Jameel, Almarai,
Almosafer, Al Naghi Group, Jahez, Mobily, Red Sea Global, Saudi
Telecom Group, Seera Holding Group, and more.
Abdul Latif Jameel is a nearly 80-year-old network of
internationally diversified businesses shaping the future of its
core sectors, mobility, energy & water, financial services,
investments and health. This network has operations in over 35
countries. “The announcement of the new AWS Region in the Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia is an important development. AWS’s advanced
technologies have the potential to unlock significant efficiencies
for businesses in Saudi and the region, thus supporting the goals
of Vision 2030,” said Hassan Jameel, deputy president and vice
chairman, Abdul Latif Jameel. “We selected AWS in 2023 as Abdul
Latif Jameel’s preferred cloud provider. Teaming up with AWS is
powering our continued digital transformation and driving further
innovation and customer centricity across our core sectors.”
Almarai is one of the world’s largest vertically integrated
dairy companies and one of the largest food and beverage production
and distribution companies in the Middle East. The company has 11
different brands, including one of the largest transportation
fleets in the Middle East. “This is a great day for technology in
the Kingdom. Establishing an AWS Region in the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia represents a significant milestone that will undoubtedly
revolutionize the landscape of cloud computing,” said Dr. Faisal
AlNasser, Almarai CIO. “Bringing together AWS's leading cloud
services and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's enormous potential will
contribute to the growth and development of the economy by
providing businesses with access to scalable, secure, and reliable
cloud solutions. We have adopted a cloud-first policy, and with
this announcement and the doors it will open, we are excited to
enhance our partnership with AWS to accelerate our digital
initiatives and enhance our operational efficiency.”
Almosafer is an integrated travel platform that has businesses
catering to every vertical across the travel and tourism industries
and is one of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s leading travel
companies. Almosafer is at the forefront of delivering experiences
to, from, and within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for leisure,
business, and religious tourism. “We look forward to welcoming AWS
in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This will no doubt enable us to
leverage AWS’s cloud computing technologies to further our mutual
business benefits,” said Muzzammil Ahussain, CEO, Almosafer. “As
the world’s leading cloud, AWS has been an integral part of
Almosafer’s digital journey, and we are confident that AWS coming
to the region will bring with it even more innovative and agile
solutions for us to drive growth across Saudi Arabia’s travel and
tourism sector.”
Al Naghi Group is one of the largest conglomerates specializing
in the automotive, consumer goods, and retail sectors in the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. “We extend our warmest congratulations to
AWS on this exciting announcement. This is truly a step in the
right direction given the Kingdom’s potential and the great
opportunity it offers,” said Al Naghi Motors CIO Dr. Zakaria
Elnaggar. “We are eager to explore the possibilities that this new
Region will bring and look forward to leveraging AWS’s cloud
services to accelerate our digital transformation journey.”
Etihad Etisalat (Mobily) provides integrated wireless services
for three main sectors, namely individuals, business, and carriers.
It has one of the largest wireless networks by coverage in the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as well as the region. “Today is a special
occasion for Mobily as we welcome an industry leader, AWS, which
has unparalleled strength in cloud computing, to the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia,” said Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Badran, CEO, Mobily.
“This marks a significant step in our ongoing commitment to provide
our customers with cutting-edge solutions and empower businesses in
the Kingdom. By leveraging Mobily's deep understanding of the local
market and robust infrastructure with AWS's global expertise, we
are creating opportunities to deliver innovative B2B and B2C
solutions that revolutionize the digital experience. Using
generative AI, next-gen technologies, and exploring their
full potential with AWS, we aim to unlock new business
possibilities to operate more efficiently, reach broader audiences,
and ultimately contribute to the Kingdom's ambitious Vision 2030
goals.”
Red Sea Global is leveraging the most innovative concepts and
technologies to deliver projects that actively enhance the
well-being of customers, communities, and environments. Red Sea
Global operates responsible and regenerative tourism destinations
that aim to enhance the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s luxury tourism
and sustainability offering, going above and beyond to not only
protect the natural environment, but to enhance it for future
generations to come. “We are thrilled to see the world's top cloud
provider, AWS, making significant investments in Saudi Arabia. At
Red Sea Global, we believe this significant investment in digital
infrastructure will further enhance the delivery of sustainable
hospitality and tourism projects in the region. This collaboration
highlights the importance of Vision 2030 projects and showcases how
Saudi Arabia continues to attract top-tier companies like AWS to be
part of its growth and development,” said John Pagano, Red Sea
Global CEO. “The depth and breadth of AWS services, spanning from
infrastructure technologies to cutting-edge innovations like
machine learning and artificial intelligence, will empower us to
transform our existing applications and build new solutions with
ease. This massive investment in digital infrastructure will
further enhance our sustainability and hospitality projects in the
region.”
stc Group engages in the provision of ICT services. It
establishes, manages, operates, and maintains fixed and mobile
telecommunication networks, systems and infrastructure. The group
engages in IoT, fintech, and cyber security. “AWS’s investment in
Saudi Arabia represents a resounding endorsement of the Kingdom’s
flourishing technology sector. Saudi Arabia is transforming into
the region’s preeminent digital hub, supported by a thriving
economy and a tech-savvy and youthful population,” said Olayan M.
Alwetaid, CEO of Saudi Telecom Group. “This investment, along with
the work of the Saudi Telecom Group, will accelerate the Kingdom’s
goal of becoming among the world’s most connected and digitalized
nations.”
AWS Partners also welcome the new AWS Region
The AWS Partner Network (APN) is a global community that
leverages AWS technologies, programs, expertise, and tools to build
solutions and services for customers. Together, partners and AWS
provide innovative solutions, solve technical challenges, win
deals, and deliver greater customer value. AWS Partners in the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia include Adobe, AppSquadz, Cognizant, DXC
Technology, Genesys, Kyndryl, LTMindtree, SAP, Trend Micro
Incorporated, Zain, and many others. For the full list of AWS
Partners, visit aws.amazon.com/partners.
“Genesys is committed to deepening its Middle East footprint and
bringing AI experience and innovation to the region, most recently
highlighted by adding new public social media capabilities that
will enable local businesses to meet the expectations of a
digital-savvy consumer base,” said Tony Bates, Genesys CEO and
chairman. “Many Saudi Arabia-based organizations trust Genesys
solutions today, and working together with AWS to expand our cloud
capability will enable us to provide even more businesses with the
foundation to undergo digital transformation, positioning them for
success in the AI era. Our longstanding collaboration with AWS is
critical to providing our customers with business resiliency and
enabling them to meet the local requirements around data privacy,
residency and protection where they operate so they can deliver
loyalty-defining experiences and differentiate in the global
marketplace.”
“SAP and its ecosystem of partners, such as AWS, are committed
to supporting Saudi’s Vision 2030 digital objectives, and we have a
long history of collaborating to enable enterprises to run more
efficiently and make better use of their data,” said Ahmed AlFaifi,
senior vice president, SAP Middle East Africa – North. “This
extension of our partnership will help to boost the digital
transformation of Saudi companies, ultimately creating a network of
intelligent, sustainable, and future-proof enterprises. We believe
the collaboration will benefit SAP customers in the Kingdom
immensely, fostering innovation and increasing the deployment of
cutting-edge digital solutions that meet local needs and contribute
to the country’s impressive program of economic diversification and
transformation.”
“The Kingdom is emerging as a hub for next-gen technologies,
with a cloud-first strategy focused on driving growth with
innovation. This continues to attract global operations including
the launch of AWS, and we are looking forward to working with AWS
to unlock new opportunities in the field of cloud computing,
artificial intelligence, and machine learning,” said Zain CEO, Eng.
Sultan Bin Abdulaziz AlDeghaither. “This partnership will further
advance our award-winning solutions and enable our customers to
fully benefit from generative AI and smart city functionalities.
This aligns with our strategic goal of expanding our digital
ecosystem to empower communities and protect the environment while
shaping the future of enterprise productivity and accelerating the
transition to a sustainable, digital economy.”
Commitment to sustainability
Amazon is committed to becoming a more sustainable business and
reaching net-zero carbon across its operations by 2040, 10 years
ahead of the Paris Agreement, as part of The Climate Pledge. Amazon
co-founded The Climate Pledge and became its first signatory in
2019. As part of its Climate Pledge commitment, Amazon is on a path
to power its operations with 100% renewable energy by 2025, five
years ahead of the original 2030 target. See Amazon's public
methodology for more on its approach. Amazon has been named the
largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy for the last four
years in a row — a position it’s held since 2020, according to
Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Amazon now has more than 500
renewable energy projects in 27 countries. Additionally, AWS will
be water positive by 2030, returning more water to communities than
it uses in its direct operations.
About Amazon Web Services
Since 2006, Amazon Web Services has been the world’s most
comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud. AWS has been continually
expanding its services to support virtually any workload, and it
now has more than 240 fully featured services for compute, storage,
databases, networking, analytics, machine learning and artificial
intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), mobile, security,
hybrid, media, and application development, deployment, and
management from 105 Availability Zones within 33 geographic
regions, with announced plans for 18 more Availability Zones and
six more AWS Regions in Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, the Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and the AWS European Sovereign Cloud.
Millions of customers—including the fastest-growing startups,
largest enterprises, and leading government agencies—trust AWS to
power their infrastructure, become more agile, and lower costs. To
learn more about AWS, visit aws.amazon.com.
About Amazon
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather
than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to
operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Amazon strives to
be Earth’s Most Customer-Centric Company, Earth’s Best Employer,
and Earth’s Safest Place to Work. Customer reviews, 1-Click
shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by
Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Career Choice, Fire
tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, Alexa, Just Walk Out technology,
Amazon Studios, and The Climate Pledge are some of the things
pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit amazon.com/about
and follow @AmazonNews.
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