AWS announces an investment plan of 15.7 billion euros in Spain through its Aragon cloud region

ZARAGOZA, May 22. (Portaltic/EP) –

Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced this Wednesday its plans to invest 15.7 billion euros in Spain through its AWS Europe (Spain) Region, with which it will support the equivalent of 17,500 full-time jobs in local businesses annually, contributing 21.6 billion euros to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Spain until 2033, according to estimates by the own company.

The Minister for Digital Transformation and the Public Service, José Luis Escrivá, has highlighted the importance of this investment, which “ratifies Spain as a key digital hub in southern Europe with great advantages, such as connectivity and climatic conditions. and local energy”. Furthermore, the fact that AWS data centers are 100% sustainable “is absolutely aligned with the ‘AI Strategy’ approved a few days ago by the Government,” he added.

Escrivá has also highlighted that this new commitment by Amazon Web Services to Spain places the country “at the forefront of technological innovation and Artificial Intelligence in Europe” and “confirms, once again, the ability to generate technological talent and high-quality jobs.” quality”

AWS will expand its cloud infrastructure in Aragon with the support of the regional government, locating 40% (6,800) of the estimated jobs at the national level in the autonomous community. These jobs will support industries such as construction, facility maintenance, engineering and telecommunications, among other areas. In addition to these jobs, more than half (12.9 billion euros) of the estimated contribution to Spain’s GDP will be located in the autonomous community of Aragon.

“Since its arrival in Aragon, AWS has turned the region’s potential to attract technological investments into a reality,” said Jorge Azcón, president of the government of Aragon. “AWS is a global company, but its participation in the local ecosystem and the communities in which it operates have made it an ‘Aragonese’ company. The investment announced today is unique in the history of technological investments, both in our community and in Spain. Without a doubt, will place Aragón on the map as a center of innovation and the cloud economy at a European level“, he added.

MULTIPLY THE ORIGINAL AWS DRAWING BY SIX

AWS’s new €15.7 billion investment plan multiplies the company’s original plan by six, announced in 2021to invest 2.5 billion euros and support the creation of 1,300 full-time jobs annually over ten years.

In this sense, Suzana Curic, general director of AWS for Iberia, has assured that the company is “committed” to supporting Spain in various areas. “Beyond the direct investments and jobs that will be created, we plan to continue our existing collaborations with local schools and community initiatives to support talent development, education programs and sustainability initiatives. “We will continue to equate the electricity used in our data centers in Aragon with 100% renewable sources and we will continue to look for different ways to innovate and execute our operations in a more efficient and sustainable way, returning resources to the communities where we have a presence,” he stated.

In terms of sustainability, and as part of Amazon’s global climate commitment (Climate Pledge) to achieve net zero carbon emissions in all its operations by 2040, AWS data centers in Aragon have been offsetting the electricity used with 100% renewable energy from its opening in 2022.

Likewise, AWS is also committed to being positive in water consumption before 2030, based on return to the community more water than it uses in its operations. In Aragon, the company has collaborated on two water projects with local partners that use AWS cloud technology to detect and reduce water loss through leaks in old pipes and increase the flow of reused water to local farms.

“AWS has been an extraordinary and committed partner in our efforts to promote sustainability in the Aragon region. Their collaboration in the ‘Forest of the Zaragozans’ through the planting of more than 5,000 treesand their support for making Zaragoza one of the few carbon-neutral cities in all of Europe, have been extraordinary,” said Eva González, director of Sustainability Culture at ECODES.

INVESTMENT IN DIGITAL SKILLS

Another of AWS’s initiatives in the region, ‘Think Big Space’, seeks to bring STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) education to local school students and inspire them to undertake technology-related studies in the future. The goal is to reach more than 50 local schools and 3,500 students between 10 and 16 years old during the first academic year.

Additionally, AWS has also created the Tech Alliance in Spainwhich brings together a coalition of Spanish companies, including local partners and AWS customers, state agencies and educational institutions, to address the gap in technological skills in the curricula of technical schools and universities.

Through these and other education and certification initiatives, AWS has trained more than 200,000 people in Spain in cloud technology skills since 2017, as part of the company’s global commitment to train more than 29 million people in cloud skills – already two million people in AI – by 2025.

During this event, AWS has also focused on the importance of grow with local partners and community, specifically in Aragon. Telefónica, Adif, IE, Insud Pharma and the Spanish Red Cross are some examples of local clients that use the AWS Region in Aragon. “Thanks to AWS technology, we can provide critical remote care services and combat the unwanted loneliness of 150,000 elderly and dependent people, in addition to helping their families and caregivers throughout Spain,” highlighted Sandra Pedraza, Head of Technology at Spanish Red Cross Information.