Amazon launches its 'sovereign' cloud in Europe and plots expansion

Core Insights - Amazon has launched its "sovereign cloud" offering in Europe to maintain its competitive position amid stricter regulations for tech giants [1] - The sovereign cloud concept involves data being stored and managed within a specific jurisdiction, addressing EU concerns over U.S. tech dominance [2] Group 1: Sovereign Cloud Details - The AWS European Sovereign Cloud is based in Brandenburg, Germany, and is designed to be "physically and logically separate" from other AWS regions [3] - A new parent company has been established for the sovereign cloud, which will be locally controlled within the EU and operated by EU citizens [3] Group 2: Leadership and Structure - Stéphane Israël will lead the AWS European Sovereign Cloud, with Stefan Hoechbauer appointed as managing director [4] - An advisory board for the sovereign cloud has been formed, including five new members, three of whom are Amazon employees [4] Group 3: Operational Independence - The sovereign cloud has "no critical dependencies on non-EU infrastructure," ensuring operational continuity during global communication disruptions [5] - In extreme circumstances, authorized AWS employees who are EU residents will have independent access to necessary source code for maintaining services [5] Group 4: Market Context - U.S. tech firms, including AWS, Microsoft, and Google, dominate the European cloud computing market, accounting for 70% of the market share [6]