Amazon on Monday announced plans to launch data centres in Saudi Arabia as part of a $5.3 billion investment in the country from its Amazon Web Services (AWS) division.

The company said that the new AWS Region, which will open in 2026, will give developers, startups, entrepreneurs, and enterprises, as well as healthcare, education, gaming, and nonprofit organisations, greater choice for running their applications and serving end users from data centres located in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, “ensuring that customers who want to keep their content in-country can do so”.

Saudi-based companies already utilising AWS include Latif Jameel, Almarai, Almosafer, Al Naghi Group, Jahez, Mobily, Red Sea Global, Saudi Telecom Group, and Seera Holding Group, AWS said.

Reports of AWS looking to invest in Saudi Arabia stretch back as far as 2017.

Prasad Kalyanaraman, vice president of Infrastructure Services at AWS, said: “The new AWS Region will enable organisations 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.

“We look forward to helping Saudi Arabian institutions, startups, and enterprises deliver cloud-powered applications to accelerate growth, productivity, and innovation and spur job creation, skills training, and educational opportunities.”

Saudi communications and IT minister Abdullah Alswaha added: “This cloud region demonstrates a firm commitment to research, innovation, and empowering entrepreneurs to achieve prosperity for our region and the world.”

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