Status: Confirmed / Under Construction | Location: Germany
The Amazon Web Services (AWS) European Sovereign Cloud Region is a major, confirmed data center initiative centered in Germany, representing a strategic and financial commitment of €7.8 billion ($8.4 billion USD) by AWS between 2024 and 2029. This project is a direct response to the increasing demand from European public sector, highly regulated industries (like finance and healthcare), and enterprises for cloud services that guarantee digital sovereignty and meet stringent EU data residency and operational autonomy requirements.
The defining feature of this project is its sovereign status. It is designed to be architecturally and operationally independent from existing AWS regions, ensuring that all customer data and its associated metadata remain exclusively within the EU. Furthermore, the operational staff controlling the European Sovereign Cloud will be resident European Union citizens, satisfying strict regulatory mandates regarding data governance and operational control.
Scheduled to launch its first region in late 2026 in Germany, the build-out will include multiple Availability Zones (AZs) to ensure high resilience and business continuity. The entire infrastructure is being constructed to meet the highest standards of physical and cyber security, necessary for handling sensitive government and financial data. The scale of the investment—€7.8 billion—underscores the massive physical infrastructure required, including the construction of numerous data centers (known as 'hyper-scale facilities' in AWS terminology) and the supporting power and networking infrastructure.
A key component of AWS's strategy is sustainability. The facilities are being designed for high energy efficiency, targeting low Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) figures, often below 1.2. AWS is also heavily investing in renewable energy projects across Europe, with the stated goal of powering the entire infrastructure with 100% renewable energy by 2030. This commitment to both digital sovereignty and sustainability makes the European Sovereign Cloud one of the most significant and complex confirmed hyperscale projects currently underway in the EMEA region.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Project Name | Amazon Web Services (AWS) European Sovereign Cloud Region |
| Location | Germany |
| Status | Confirmed / Under Construction |
| Commissioning | Expected to launch in late 2026 |
| Total IT Load | Not specified for the initial region, but part of a multi-GW European build-out |
| Total Capacity | Multiple Availability Zones (AZs) initially; part of a €7.8 Billion total investment |
| Tier Level | Tier III+ to Tier IV (Required for sovereign cloud operations) |
| Project Type | Sovereign Hyperscale Cloud Region |
| Header | Details |
|---|---|
| City Name | Frankfurt Area (Germany) and others |
| Population | Not specified (Region-wide focus) |
| Urban Agglomeration | Not specified (Region-wide focus) |
| City GDP | Not applicable (Regional/National focus) |
| Per Capita Income | Not applicable (Regional/National focus) |
| City Tier | Global Tier-1/Established Digital Hub |
| Key Strengths | Central European location; Frankfurt is a major European Internet Exchange (DE-CIX) and finance hub; Strong regulatory framework; High security and data sovereignty requirements. |
| Header | Details |
|---|---|
| Developer / Operator | Amazon Web Services (AWS) |
| Strategic Infrastructure Partner | German government and highly regulated European entities |
| Construction Contractor | Multiple, utilizing local construction firms for various sites |
| MEP Engineering | Standard AWS high-efficiency design; focus on regional compliance and security |
| Network Connectivity | Dedicated, low-latency links to existing AWS infrastructure; designed to meet specific European regulatory requirements |
| Power Infrastructure | Dedicated power purchase agreements (PPAs); leveraging renewable energy sources |
| Header | Details |
|---|---|
| Power Capacity | Significant capacity as part of the total €7.8B investment in the region |
| UPS Redundancy | High-level (e.g., N+1 or 2N across multiple AZs) |
| Cooling System | Optimized for high-efficiency and low PUE |
| Connectivity | Focus on government, public sector, and regulated industries (financial, healthcare) |
| PUE Target | Aggressive PUE targets, often below 1.2, leveraging local environmental conditions |
| Energy Mix | Strong commitment to renewable energy and sustainability; aims for 100% renewable energy by 2030 |
| Header | Details |
|---|---|
| Announcement | November 2023 (Initial Sovereign Cloud announcement); March 2024 (€7.8B investment confirmation) |
| Construction Start | Ongoing (Sites in the Germany region are under development) |
| Phase 1 Go-Live | Multi-phase build-out across multiple Availability Zones |
| Full Buildout | Initial launch by late 2026; full investment deployed by 2029 |
| Header | Details |
|---|---|
| Total Investment | €7.8 Billion ($8.4 Billion USD) announced for 2024-2029 |
| Funding | Amazon Web Services (AWS) |
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