AWS to build new data centres in Israel

Amazon has announced that its cloud subsidiary, Amazon Web Services, will launch an infrastructure region, AWS Israel (Tel Aviv), in the first half of 2023.

This follows Israel’s selection of AWS and Google to provide cloud services to the government, as part of Project Nimbus.

Project Nimbus is an enormous project, encompassing the transfer of cloud services and processes from on-premise servers to cloud data centres operated by Google and AWS. The two tech companies will receive in excess of $1B, to provide secure cloud services in Israel. They have also promised local data centres to ensure that sensitive data is physically stored within the borders of the country.

Until local data centres are in service, Google and Amazon will utilize data centres located in Ireland, the Netherlands, and Germany – with a long-term plan to transfer all data to Israeli data centres as soon as possible.

Peter de Santis, Senior Vice President of Global Infrastructure, AWS, highlighted the importance of cloud adoption for the Israeli government, noting, “Cloud technology is at the heart of the Israeli government’s digital transformation program, and their approach highlights the importance of setting a strong course for cloud adoption and leading by example to re-invent citizen services.”

He also stressed the many ways that increased cloud availability can support the technology ecosystem in Israel. “The new region is a continuation of our investment to support enterprises of all kinds, help startups scale and grow, enable technical skills development, and create cloud literacy.”

AWS has maintained a presence in Israel since 2014, opening an office and a Research and Development centre at that time. AWS Educate and AWS Academy programs are being offered to students and educators through a number of universities. Training and certification programs are also available to anyone interested in keeping abreast of new cloud technologies and best practices, to support private and public enterprises in efforts toward digital transformation.

The Times of Israel reported that officials from the Finance Ministry signed agreements with Google and Amazon in May, in which both companies agreed to provide services for at least seven years, even if they come under pressure from the U.S. government to boycott the country.

The portion of Project Nimbus that was awarded to AWS and Google only represents one of four separate bids. The second, awarded to KPMG, involves creating a strategy for cloud migration. KPMG will be setting up a local Cloud Centre of Excellence to ensure that the strategy is formulated, communicated and supported.