Amazon has invested more than $82 billion in Germany since 2010 — but its latest funding pledge shows it isn’t stopping there

Amazon has announced plans to pump another €10 billion ($10.7 billion) into Germany to support the expansion of its logistics network and cloud infrastructure across the country. 

As part of the investment, AWS plans to make an €8.8 billion ($9.4 billion) investment by 2026 to continue to build, maintain, and operate its cloud infrastructure for the AWS Europe (Frankfurt) Region.

This, the company said, will help it meet growing customer demand for AWS services in Germany, including AI technologies.

AWS provides a range of cloud and AI services for companies across Germany, including its flagship Bedrock framework which allows users to harness a variety of in-house and third-party large language models (LLMs).

Meanwhile, the labs at the company's R&D in Berlin will be extended to develop and enhance AI and robotics technologies.

"Germany is at the heart of innovation across Europe. AWS is more committed than ever to helping German customers lead and build new technologies and services using the wide variety of capabilities in the AWS Cloud, including generative AI," said Stefan Hoechbauer, managing director for Germany and Europe at AWS.

"To address the growing demand for our services, we’re investing heavily in Germany’s digital infrastructure. This also includes our commitment to support digital skills and talent development programmes across Germany and to partner with local communities on joint initiatives with a lasting impact."

The funding pledge means the company now has confirmed planned investments in Germany totaling €17.8 billion ($19 billion), and builds on a separate investment to expand cloud infrastructure across the country made just weeks ago.

In May, the tech giant unveiled a €7.8 billion ($8.3 billion) funding package for the AWS European Sovereign Cloud in Germany. The move marked the launch of AWS’ first sovereign cloud in the region, and will be housed in the state of Brandenburg.

AWS is one of several hyperscalers bolstering 'sovereign' cloud services in Europe to meet regulatory requirements on data residency and privacy.

The latest tranche of funding brings Amazon’s total investment in Germany to more than €77 billion ($82.5 billion) since 2010, and a total of more than €150 billion ($160.8 billion) across the EU.

Amazon eyes German workforce expansion

The company said it will also be creating 4,000 new jobs in Germany this year, at three new fulfilment centers: one in Horn-Bad Meinberg in North Rhine-Westphalia, opening later this summer; one in Erfurt, Thuringia, which opened in May; and one in Großenkneten, which opened last August. 

The new jobs will bring the company's total number of permanent employees in Germany up to more than 40,000. The company said its plans will contribute €15.4 billion ($16.5 billion) to Germany’s GDP, while supporting an average of 15,200 full-time jobs annually in the local supply chain.

"Our teams work hand-in-hand with state-of-the-art technologies to deliver for small businesses and customers, while AWS enables organisations of all sizes in Germany to grow their businesses and innovate using the cloud," said Rocco Bräuniger, Amazon Germany country manager.

"And with that comes a positive impact for the country – and especially the communities where we operate – with a broad range of investments and jobs ranging from research and development to logistics and customer service."