Riyadh – Mubasher: Amazon Web Services (AWS) has unveiled plans to launch an AWS infrastructure region in Saudi Arabia in 2026, according to a press release.
The new AWS region will support developers, startups, entrepreneurs, and enterprises, as well as healthcare, education, gaming, and nonprofit organizations. It will enable them to run their applications and serve end users from data centres located in the Kingdom.
In line with its long-term commitment, AWS is planning to invest over $5.30 billion (SAR 19.88 billion) in the Kingdom.
Prasad Kalyanaraman, Vice President of Infrastructure Services at AWS, commented: “Today’s announcement supports 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.”
“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,” Kalyanaraman added.
The new AWS Region will consist of three Availability Zones at launch, in addition to the existing 105 Availability Zones across 33 geographic regions globally
Furthermore, AWS also intends to launch 18 more Availability Zones and six more AWS Regions in Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and the AWS European Sovereign Cloud.
Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Badran, CEO of Etihad Etisalat Company (Mobily), said: “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,” Al Badran highlighted.
Meanwhile, Olayan Alwetaid, CEO of Saudi Telecom Company (stc), noted: “Saudi Arabia is transforming into the region’s preeminent digital hub, supported by a thriving economy and a tech-savvy and youthful population.”
“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 digitalised nations,” Alwetaid continued.
