Amazon Web Services (AWS) has revealed plans to invest £8 billion into the construction, operation, and maintenance of data centres across the UK over the next five years.
The project is expected to contribute £14 billion to UK GDP before 2028, and support more than 14,000 jobs within the data centre supply chain, including construction, engineering, and telecoms.
AWS has spent £3 billion in development in the UK since 2020 to meet the growing demand from customers. This has supported an average of 6,000 full time jobs at local business level. The total impact of cloud computing services in the UK accounted for over £42 billion in 2023 – over 1.6% of GDP.
Digital economy
Surveys suggest that cloud computing services have saved small businesses money and allowed them to compete with larger companies by giving them access to the same technologies.
Tanuja Randery, Vice President and Managing Director, Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) at AWS, said: “The next few years could be among the most pivotal for the UK’s digital and economic future, as organisations of all sizes across the country increasingly embrace technologies like cloud computing and AI to help them accelerate innovation, increase productivity, and compete on the global stage.“
The cloud infrastructure market is dominated by three major firms; AWS, Microsoft, and Google. In 2023, an investigation into the supply of public cloud infrastructure services in the UK indicated that AWS may have engaged in anti-competitive behaviours which could have disadvantaged UK customers and businesses.
It’s not clear how this new investment will affect the UK market – but the final decision is expected in April 2025.
