Amazon to invest $1.3 bn in Italy data centre biz to boost cloud services

Amazon's computing unit AWS on Thursday said it planned to invest 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion) in Italy over the next five years in a further expansion of its data centre business in the country. 

The plan was part of the tech giant's effort to boost its cloud offer in Europe under which AWS launched its first cloud region in Italy in 2020 with the prospect to invest 2 billion euros by 2029. 

The investment would support up to 5,500 jobs through 2029 across the AWS data centre supply chain, the company said in a statement. 

Jobs will range from construction, facility maintenance, engineering, telecommunications, and jobs within the broader local economy, it added. 

Reuters first reported in May Amazon Web Service (AWS) was in talks with Rome to invest billions of euros in the expansion of its business in the country. 

The unit counts luxury carmaker Ferrari and insurer Assicurazioni Generali among its customers in the country, its website showed. 

AWS would expand its data centre operations in Milan, Italian daily Il Sole 24 Ore said on Thursday. 

In May it has unveiled a 15.7 billion euros investment in data centres in Spain's northeastern Aragon region, and planned to invest in Germany 7.8 billion euros through 2040. 

($1 = 0.9292 euros) 

(Reporting Sara Rossi, editing by Keith Weir)