At the AWS Summit held at Marina Bay Sands earlier today (May 7), Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced that it will invest S$12 billion in its existing cloud infrastructure in Singapore from 2024 to 2028 to meet the growing customer demand for cloud technology and services in the city-state.
This marks the tech giant’s largest investment in the city-state, bringing the company’s total sum invested to S$23.5 billion. This is more than double the amount it invested here from 2010, when the company’s cloud computing division set up its regional headquarters here for its cluster of data centres, to 2023.
According to a new AWS Economic Impact Study (EIS), the company’s investments are expected to contribute S$23.7 billion to the city-state’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2028 and support an average of about 12,300 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs in local businesses annually.
This investment will create a ripple effect across Singapore by increasing economic growth and cloud adoption. It also brings additional contributions to the local economy by AWS, such as upskilling the local digital workforce, developing renewable energy projects, and creating a positive impact in the communities where AWS operates.
Priscilla Chong, Country Manager, Singapore, Amazon Web Services
Contributing to Singapore’s National AI Strategy (NAIS) 2.0
Apart from the investment, the company also collaborated with the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) for the launch of AWS AI Spring – a new flagship programme aimed at partnering with the Singapore government, public sector organisations and businesses to help them spur the adoption of AI and Generative AI across the city-state.
As part of the programme, the company will offer workshops and consultations for organisations across six pillars as follows:
- AI Spring Public Sector – helping the local government and its agencies
- AI Spring Workforce – provides a series of AI skilling and professional certification programmes
- AI Spring Enterprise – drives AI adoption for local businesses
- AI Spring Startups – focuses on developing core AI startups
- AI Spring Communities – leverages AI to contribute to community development
- AI Spring Research and Development (R&D)
To date, AWS has trained over 400,000 people in Singapore in cloud skills since 2017. According to Chong, the company will “continue to invest in upskilling and improve productivity” across the country.
Speaking to The Straits Times, Elsie Tan, Country Manager, Worldwide Public Sector at AWS Singapore, expressed her enthusiasm for future collaborations with the local government and businesses, adding that she hopes that the programme will accelerate Singapore’s Smart Nation vision and goal to become a leader in the international AI field.
By leveraging AWS’s broadest and deepest set of artificial intelligence and machine learning services, cloud infrastructure, and network, AWS will empower local organisations and students with technology and skills to tackle unique challenges, unlock new opportunities, delight customers, and scale in a secure, resilient, and sustainable manner.
Elsie Tan, Country Manager, Worldwide Public Sector at AWS Singapore
Featured Image Credit: Wall Street Journal
