AWS UK visit highlights push on sovereign cloud and public sector AI

Amazon Web Services executives used LinkedIn to detail a week of senior-level meetings in the UK, as the company connects public sector AI collaboration with the launch of its European Sovereign Cloud for regulated workloads.

Photo credit: Michael B. Greenwald

Amazon Web Services executives took to LinkedIn to outline a series of meetings in the United Kingdom with UK, U.S., and international counterparts, as the company reinforces its focus on public sector AI, digital government, and sovereign cloud infrastructure across Europe.

The posts, shared by senior AWS leaders, followed the general availability of the AWS European Sovereign Cloud and positioned the new infrastructure as central to how governments and regulated sectors approach AI, data residency, and digital transformation, including in education and skills systems.

Michael B. Greenwald, Global Head of Financial Innovation and Digital Assets at AWS, wrote on LinkedIn that he joined AWS colleagues on a UK visit that included meetings with UK Minister of State Ian Murray at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, DSIT Permanent Secretary Emran Mian, HMRC Permanent Secretary and Chief Executive John-Paul Marks, and U.S. Ambassador to the UK Warren Stephens.

Greenwald said the discussions centered on “global digital transformation and AI leadership,” with a focus on public-private collaboration between AWS, the UK, and the United States. He noted that conversations explored AI’s role in diplomacy, governance, and cyber defense, as well as its use in sectors including healthcare, energy, education, and finance.

He also thanked the AWS UK team, writing that the visit reflected AWS’s commitment to supporting partners in the UK and maintaining close ties with U.S. counterparts.

Sovereign cloud framed as milestone for public sector customers

The UK engagements followed AWS confirming the general availability of its European Sovereign Cloud, an independent cloud environment located entirely within the EU and physically and logically separate from other AWS Regions.

In a separate LinkedIn post, David Levy, Vice President at AWS, described the development as a milestone for government and regulated industry users. He wrote: “This new, independent cloud for Europe offers the same robust portfolio of AWS cloud and AI services while ensuring the complete EU data residency, security and compliance controls, and governance needed to meet stringent European sovereignty requirements.”

AWS has said it plans to extend the sovereign cloud footprint beyond Germany, with new sovereign AWS Local Zones in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Portugal to support strict isolation and low-latency requirements.

The emphasis on public sector use cases was echoed by Ash Thankey, Managing Director and General Manager for the UK, Germany, and International Organizations at AWS, who reflected on LinkedIn that the week included time spent listening to customer needs as they work to “serve citizens in innovative ways.”

Levy added: “This is an important milestone for our public sector customers in particular and will help accelerate innovation and drive digital transformation across Europe.”

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