Launch is scheduled for 2026 but the emphasis is on investment in upskilling, grants and mentoring with the aim of driving cloud adoption
Amazon Web Services (AWS) plans to launch an AWS infrastructure region in Saudi Arabia in 2026. It has committed to invest more than $5.3 billion in the country.
The new region will comprise three Availability Zones at launch. AWS says it will offer greater choice to all kinds and sizes of companies in the Kingdom and enable those who wish to keep their data within its borders to do so.
Prasad Kalyanaraman, VP and President of Infrastructure Services at AWS, commented, “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.”
Upskilling initiatives
Part of the promised investment will be spent on upskilling initiatives to speed cloud adoption in Saudi Arabia. One example is the pledge to launch the AWS Saudi Arabia Women’s Skills Initiative with Skillsoft Global Knowledge. The aim is to train up to 4,000 women to use AWS Cloud Practitioner Essentials. The courses will be free of charge and held in classrooms with AWS-certified professionals.
AWS will also invest in training students, developers and technical and non-technical professionals through vehicles like the AWS Academy, AWS Educate, AWS re/Start, and AWS Skill Builder.
Innovation centres
The company plans to build two innovation centres and provide start-ups 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 Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, 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.
Continuing global expansion
AWS has 105 Availability Zones across 33 geographic regions globally. Along with this announcement about plans in Saudi Arabia, AWS said it 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