AWS Starts Sovereign Cloud Company in Germany

Amazon Web Services created a corporate entity and three subsidiaries in Germany as part of a sovereign cloud it is launching in the EU. The company named Kathrin Renz as MD of the AWS European Sovereign Cloud, which is scheduled to launch in H2. She is aided by government security and privacy officials who also reside in the EU.

“Everything needed to operate the AWS European Sovereign Cloud is in the EU: the talent, the technology, the infrastructure, and the leadership,” the company stated in a blog. “In addition to independent infrastructure, there will be zero operational control outside of EU borders; only AWS employees, residing in the EU, will control day-to-day operations, including access to data centers, technical support, and customer service for the AWS European Sovereign Cloud.”

In 2024, AWS announced it would invest €7.8 billion in a European Sovereign Cloud based in Germany. It also detailed a plan to invest an additional €8.8 billion to build and maintain its cloud infrastructure in the Frankfurt region to help meet growing customer demand for its related technologies. “We’ve designed the AWS European Sovereign Cloud to address European digital sovereignty requirements while maintaining the services portfolio, security, reliability, and performance that customers expect from AWS,” Renz stated.