Amazon Will Invest £8 Billion in Data Centers in UK

Amazon has announced a 2024-2028 investment plan worth £8 billion ($10 billion) to build, operate, and maintain data centers in the UK.

Amazon estimates that this investment will contribute £14 billion to the UK’s GDP and generate an extra 14,000 jobs for local UK businesses in construction, engineering, telecommunications, and building maintenance.

Amazon built its first AWS Region in the UK in 2016 and invested £3 billion to expand its data center footprint between 2020 and 2023. Cloud computing represented more than £42 billion in the UK in 2023, roughly 1.6% of the GDP.

Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, said: “This £8 billion Amazon Web Services investment marks the start of the economic revival and shows Britain is a place to do business. I welcome the announcement as part of the Government’s mission to boost growth, unlock investment, and make every part of Britain better off.”

The increase in data centers will help Amazon continue to provide access to AWS resources for various small and medium-sized businesses, government agencies, educational institutions, and others.

Based on a study that Amazon commissioned by Public First, an independent consulting company, businesses in the UK that leverage AWS cloud computing have reduced operating costs, accelerated time to market, and increased global reach, allowing them to compete with larger companies.

Over three-quarters of AWS users also claim that cloud computing has helped them reduce their energy consumption, contributing to their sustainability targets.

Amazon has further supported the growth of cloud computing in the UK by investing in learning resources to train and skill the UK workforce to meet market demands. It established training programs like AWS Educate, AWS Academy, and AWS re/Start. Between 2020 and 2024, it trained over 31 million learners globally, including those from the UK.