Amazon Web Services (AWS) announces plans to establish a new infrastructure region in Taiwan by 2025, enhancing local cloud services and supporting various industries. The AWS Asia Pacific (Taipei) Region will feature three Availability Zones, aiming to provide lower latency and higher resilience for Taiwanese enterprises. With a significant financial commitment and focus on skills development, AWS’s expansion in Taiwan signifies a long-term investment in the region’s digital transformation.
AWS Announces Plans for New Infrastructure Region in Taiwan by 2025
Seattle, WA – Amazon Web Services (AWS), a subsidiary of Amazon.com Inc., has confirmed plans to establish a new infrastructure region in Taiwan by early 2025. Dubbed the AWS Asia Pacific (Taipei) Region, this new development is set to enhance AWS’s global footprint while catering specifically to Taiwanese enterprises and organisations. The region will consist of three Availability Zones upon launch.
AWS executives underline that this new regional infrastructure will support industries across the board, including education, entertainment, financial services, and nonprofits, allowing them to run applications and securely store data within Taiwan. This initiative is anticipated to provide Taiwanese customers with lower latency and higher resilience, further enabling the capabilities of startups, entrepreneurs, and large enterprises alike.
Financial Commitment
AWS’s intention to invest billions of dollars in Taiwan over the next 15 years underscores its long-term commitment. As AWS Vice President of Infrastructure Services Prasad Kalyanaraman noted, “The new AWS Region in Taiwan will enable organisations to unlock the full potential of the cloud and build with AWS technologies to drive innovation and transformation.”
Taiwan’s government officials have welcomed the development. Premier Jung-tai Cho pointed to Taiwan’s strengths in semiconductor manufacturing and ICT (Information and Communications Technology) sectors, suggesting this AWS investment will spur job creation and technological advancement in the region.
Expanding Global Reach
The new Taipei Region will augment AWS’s existing infrastructure presence, currently comprising 105 Availability Zones across 33 geographic regions globally. AWS plans to add 21 more Availability Zones and seven more Regions, including regions in Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and a European Sovereign Cloud. These Availability Zones are designed to guarantee business continuity while maintaining low latency, crucial for applications requiring high availability.
Local Industry Response
Several Taiwanese corporations and AWS partners have expressed optimism about the announcement. Cathay Financial Holdings, already leveraging AWS since 2021, views the development as a critical step in boosting the stability and scalability of financial services. Similarly, Chunghwa Telecom, a prominent name in Taiwan’s cloud network services, sees this as an opportunity to enhance its cloud offerings with AWS’s global infrastructure.
Gaming company Gamania and AI multimedia technology group KKCompany also praised the development, focusing on improved latency and data residency benefits that will aid service delivery and innovation.
AWS’s Broader Investments in Taiwan
AWS has steadily built its presence in Taiwan since 2014, first with Amazon CloudFront edge locations and subsequently with AWS Direct Connect and AWS Outposts, culminating with the AWS Local Zones launch in 2022. These investments have allowed AWS to better serve its Taiwanese clientele with enhanced connectivity and edge computing capabilities.
Skills and Sustainability Initiatives
To support Taiwan’s evolving cloud landscape, AWS has invested in various skill development initiatives such as AWS Academy, AWS Educate, and AWS Skill Builder. These programs have already imparted cloud skills to more than 100,000 individuals in Taiwan. This educational push is aligned with AWS’s larger goal of training eight million individuals across the Asia Pacific-Japan region.
AWS has also reinforced its commitment to sustainability. The company aims to achieve net-zero carbon by 2040 and plans to power all its operations with 100% renewable energy by 2025. AWS is the largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy globally and has over 500 renewable energy projects.
Conclusion
The upcoming AWS Asia Pacific (Taipei) Region highlights AWS’s strategy to extend its global reach while providing localised, high-performance cloud services tailored for Taiwan. As AWS continues its large-scale investments and skill development programs, the new infrastructure is expected to play a pivotal role in supporting Taiwan’s digital transformation and economic diversification.
