Amazon Web Services (AWS) has revealed plans to invest £8 billion in building, operating and maintaining data centres across the UK over the next five years.
The project is expected to contribute £14 billion to UK GDP by 2028 and support more than 14,000 jobs within the data centre supply chain, including construction, engineering and telecommunications.
AWS has invested £3 billion in development in the UK since 2020 to meet growing customer demand. This has supported an average of 6,000 full-time jobs in local businesses. The total impact of cloud computing services in the UK accounted for more than £42 billion in 2023, more than 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 General Manager for Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) at AWS, said: “The next few years could be some of the most defining for the UK’s digital and economic future as organisations of all sizes across the country increasingly adopt 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 companies: AWS, Microsoft, and Google. By 2023, a Supply Research Research into public cloud infrastructure services in the UK indicated that AWS may have engaged in anti-competitive conduct that could have harmed UK customers and businesses.
It is unclear how this new investment will affect the UK market, but a final decision is expected in April 2025.
