Amazon Web Services (AWS) has become indispensable to Switzerland's digital infrastructure. What began with a modest office in Sihlcity has grown into an organization with locations in Zurich, Geneva, and Bern and an infrastructure region in the Greater Zurich Area.
Locally rooted, essential to Switzerland's digital infrastructure
Amazon Web Services (AWS) has become indispensable to Switzerland's digital infrastructure. What began with a modest office in Sihlcity has grown into an organization with locations in Zurich, Geneva, and Bern and an infrastructure region in the Greater Zurich Area.
In a conversation with Lukas Huber, Managing Director of the Greater Zurich Area (GZA), Chris Keller, Managing Director of AWS Europe Central, emphasizes the company's ambitions: "Our focus is on creating value for our customers through uncompromising quality. This customer-centric strategy allows us to set standards and build sustainable relationships beyond simple price comparisons."
With over 10,000 active customers in Switzerland - including many SMEs - AWS is a pillar of digital transformation. The Zurich Cloud Region was launched in 2022 to provide Swiss businesses and public institutions with high-performance, secure, locally anchored infrastructure. AWS offers over 240 services, including cloud storage, data analytics, and machine learning, which are used by everyone from innovative startups to established corporations.
AWS plans to invest around six billion Swiss francs in Switzerland by 2036. This goes beyond expanding data centers and includes talent development. AWS recently began training IT apprentices and is working with associations to promote young talent. "Switzerland offers ideal conditions for our growth - with its international outlook, well-educated workforce, legal certainty, and open-minded authorities," says Keller.
Artificial intelligence as a driver of innovation
One of AWS's main focus areas is the advancement of AI technologies. At the AWS Summit Zurich, it became clear that AI is no longer a niche topic - it's shaping the future of technology. With Amazon Bedrock and specialized AI chips like Trainium and Inferentia, AWS provides powerful tools that allow companies to train and deploy their own AI models in real-world applications. A prominent example is Zurich Insurance, which uses AI to analyze property data to prevent flooding and fires.
In 2023, AWS and Anthropic announced a strategic partnership, with AWS serving as the primary cloud provider. Backed by an investment of up to $4 billion, AWS supports the development of cutting-edge AI models that Anthropic builds on AWS chips and makes available to all AWS customers via Amazon Bedrock.
The Greater Zurich Area is a global innovation hub for technology and financial services. AWS plays a central role by providing companies with highly available, scalable, and secure IT infrastructure. These robust cloud solutions allow startups to process large volumes of data efficiently while established companies can accelerate their digital transformation. Over 10,000 active customers in Switzerland rely on AWS - from Anybotics to ETH Zurich, Helvetia, Ringier, Swiss Post, Swisscom, Swisstopo, and Zurich Insurance Group. SMEs also benefit from the cloud: With AWS cloud infrastructure and machine learning, Solar Manager enables households to safely and intelligently manage their solar energy consumption through a user-friendly app.
The traditional company Schulthess, based in Cham, Zug, uses AWS technologies to implement an intelligent IoT solution for the predictive maintenance of their washing machines - based on AWS IoT Core and serverless architectures. AWS also supports the economy through targeted programs for businesses looking to benefit from cloud technology. By partnering with universities and research institutions, AWS promotes the advancement of cutting-edge technologies in areas such as AI, machine learning, and cybersecurity.
AWS has ambitious sustainability goals. It aims to power its operations with 100% renewable energy by 2025 and invests in innovative technologies such as generative AI and quantum computing.
In conversation, Chris Keller emphasizes that AWS still sees itself as "the world's largest startup" - committed to innovation, quality, and local roots. The company deliberately hires employees with market knowledge, regional expertise, and, importantly, fluency in the local language. AWS places great value on customer proximity and sees customer needs as the central driving force behind innovation and growth.
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