Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced plans to launch an infrastructure region in Saudi Arabia by 2026, with an investment exceeding $5.3 billion (approximately SR19.88 billion). This strategic move aims to provide developers, startups, entrepreneurs, enterprises, and organizations in healthcare, education, gaming, and the nonprofit sector with enhanced choices for running their applications and serving end-users directly from the Kingdom, ensuring data residency preferences are met. The announcement, made during the LEAP conference in Riyadh, marks a significant milestone in supporting the Kingdom's digital transformation efforts, aligning with Saudi Vision 2030's objectives to attract foreign university branches and increase private sector involvement in higher education. AWS's commitment to Saudi Arabia is further demonstrated through the establishment of two new innovation centers and technical mentorship for startups in the Middle East and North Africa on AWS technologies like AI and ML. Additionally, AWS plans to upskill 4,000 women through the "AWS Saudi Arabia Women's Skills Initiative" in partnership with Skillsoft Global Knowledge, offering free AWS Cloud Practitioner Essentials training. The new AWS Region will feature three Availability Zones at launch, contributing to the global network of AWS Regions and enhancing business continuity, low latency, and high availability for applications running in multiple Availability Zones. AWS's broad and deep portfolio of services will support customers in Saudi Arabia and across the Middle East in driving innovation, meeting data residency preferences, achieving lower latency, and catering to the growing demand for cloud services. To support the growth in cloud adoption, AWS will continue to scale its training programs, aiming to provide free cloud computing skills training to 29 million people globally by 2025. This includes AWS Academy, AWS Educate, AWS re/Start, and AWS Skill Builder offerings, designed to prepare learners for careers in the cloud. Furthermore, as part of Amazon's commitment to developing digital skills and contributing to Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, Amazon Academy has been launched to train over 30,000 Saudi citizens in cloud technology, logistics, and retail, offering certification vouchers and internship opportunities. AWS's significant investment in Saudi Arabia is poised to revolutionize the landscape of cloud computing in the Kingdom, empowering Saudi institutions, startups, and enterprises with cloud-powered applications to accelerate growth, productivity, and innovation. — SG
