Amazon Announces Launch of Independent 'Sovereign' Cloud Services in Europe

Amazon to roll out cloud services tailored to meet EU's stringent data privacy rules, with the initial launch in Germany and operations managed solely by EU-resident AWS employees.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced the launch of the AWS European Sovereign Cloud, a separate cloud services system designed to comply with European Union's strict data privacy rules. The system will initially roll out in Germany, operated solely by EU-resident AWS employees to ensure data sovereignty.
The AWS European Sovereign Cloud is specifically tailored to meet public sector and private companies operating in highly-regulated industries, allowing customers to keep their metadata within the EU. It will also have operational autonomy and support solely run by AWS employees residing within the EU.
Launched amid EU's growing concerns over data handling and storage by non-European companies, AWS develops the sovereign cloud as the bloc emphasizes its digital sovereignty, aiming to regain control of data and technology.
In response to EU's new rules on content moderation and fair competition under the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Markets Act (DMA), the AWS European Sovereign Cloud signifies Amazon's compliance efforts.
The sovereign cloud will be located and operated within Europe, being physically and logically separate from other existing AWS regions. It will also offer the same security, availability, and performance as existing AWS regions but will provide added features to meet stringent regulatory data residency and operational requirements.
Other tech giants such as Microsoft, Oracle, and Google have also introduced separate cloud offerings tailored to meet the EU's data residency requirements and cater to government customers in Europe.