Amazon's data center footprint tops 900, far larger than thought

Investing.com -- Amazon.com Inc.’s cloud computing operation spans more than 900 facilities across over 50 countries, far exceeding common perceptions of its size, according to a Bloomberg report on Monday citing internal documents and investigative website SourceMaterial.

While Amazon Web Services (AWS) is primarily known for its massive data center hubs in Virginia and Oregon, these facilities are just one piece of the company’s vast operations. The cloud division also maintains server racks in hundreds of "colocation" facilities - commonly called "colos" in the industry - where it rents space from third-party providers.

These rented facilities accounted for approximately one-fifth of Amazon’s total computing power last year, the documents reveal. AWS’s presence in these colocation centers varies significantly, ranging from a few server racks in dedicated rooms to occupying most or all of enormous buildings in locations such as Frankfurt and Tokyo.

Amazon does not publicly disclose the locations of its individual data centers, citing security concerns and competitive reasons. This revelation about AWS’s extensive global footprint comes at a time when investors are particularly interested in whether the company has sufficient capacity to handle the growing computing demands for artificial intelligence applications.

The documents reportedly also indicate that AWS ranks among the world’s largest renters of colocation space, suggesting the company possesses significant flexibility to offer its cloud services to customers across the globe.

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