What’s next for Europe’s data revolution? AWS joins the GAIA-X initiative

Using data for commercial advantage and improved citizen services is at the heart of Europe’s next wave of initiatives.

GAIA-X is an initiative that aims to bring together representatives from business, science, and politics to help define standards for the next generation of data infrastructure, which includes an open transparent and secure digital ecosystem, where data and services can be made available, collated, and shared in an environment of trust.

AWS has participated in multiple GAIA-X technical working groups and has actively supported the initiative from its beginning. We’re here to help our European customers and partners accelerate cloud-driven innovation in Europe—to compete at home and globally.

As we announce our membership of GAIA-X, it’s important to understand what’s driving our involvement and support. There are three areas: 1. Ensuring the highest levels of security and data protection; 2. Respect for data sovereignty; and, 3. Access to world-leading technology.

Security and trust are the foundation of any drive to digitise the European economy. At AWS, nothing is more important than protecting our customers’ data. We’ve worked hard to comply with internationally recognized standards, including being the first cloud provider, in 2016, to receive the Cloud Computing Compliance Controls Catalog (C5) certificate in Germany, and more recently the Hebergement de Données de Santé (HDS) certification in France and the Esquema Nacional de Seguridad (ENS) in Spain. AWS also adheres to the CISPE Code of Conduct, which provides a data protection compliance framework to help cloud infrastructure customers assess their providers’ compliance with GDPR.

We respect European data sovereignty. We understand that freedom of choice is a fundamental customer need. AWS customers always retain ownership and control of their data, including where it’s stored, how it’s stored, and who has access. Our commitment to customer control and choice goes much further. That’s why we’ve contributed to industry initiatives such as the code of conduct on switching cloud provider and porting data (SWIPO), facilitated by the European Commission under the Free Flow of non-personal data Regulation (FFoD).

The best way to ensure successful European companies is by allowing them access to the world’s most advanced technology. Customers who move to AWS deliver an average of almost three times more features (such as applications), and they deliver these features 42 percent faster than they did without AWS. We’re also a company that’s constantly introducing new services and technologies. AWS now has more than 175 fully featured services, with the deepest functionality within those services, and we are innovating faster than anyone else.

AWS stands ready to help play its part in powering Europe’s new digital leadership. Learn how AWS can accelerate your mission.