Amazon’s cloud computing division Amazon Web Services (AWS) has reported a temporary shutdown at one of its data centres in the United Arab Emirates after objects struck the facility, causing sparks and a fire.The incident has led to connectivity issues and increased error rates across several AWS services in the Middle East region, officially known as me-central-1.According to AWS, the disruption began at around 4:30 AM PST.What happened at the AWS UAE data centre?In a statement, AWS said that one of its Availability Zones, identified as mec1-az2, was impacted after objects struck the data centre.The impact created sparks and led to a fire inside the facility. Emergency teams responded, and the local fire department temporarily cut power to the affected site while extinguishing the fire.AWS explained that an “Availability Zone” consists of one or more physical data centres within a region. Each zone is designed to operate independently to improve resilience and reduce downtime.The company added that it may take several hours to fully restore connectivity in the affected zone. Other Availability Zones in the UAE region are operating normally.<h2>Which AWS services were affected?</h2>According to an alert published on the AWS Health Dashboard, multiple services experienced increased error rates.Impacted services include:AWS GlueAWS Resource GroupsAWS Service CatalogAmazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2)Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS)AWS described the issue as an operational disruption involving multiple services in the UAE region.Customers reported connectivity fluctuations and service errors during the incident.The disruption occurred as the UAE faces heightened tensions following retaliatory missile and drone strikes linked to the ongoing conflict between Iran, the United States and Israel.Several airports, ports and residential areas across the UAE and parts of the Gulf have reportedly been affected in recent days.When asked whether the data centre incident was directly connected to the strikes, AWS did not confirm or deny any link.The company’s statement focused only on the operational impact and restoration efforts.

<h2>How does this matter for businesses?</h2>AWS powers thousands of businesses, startups and government services across the Middle East. Even short disruptions can affect:Online platformsBanking systemsE-commerce servicesEnterprise cloud workloadsThe UAE region (me-central-1) plays a key role in providing low-latency cloud services to customers across the Gulf and neighbouring countries.AWS has not provided an exact timeline for full recovery but stated that restoration efforts are ongoing.Cloud infrastructure is built with redundancy, meaning multiple data centres operate within each region to prevent complete outages. However, physical damage to one Availability Zone can still impact performance temporarily.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) reported a temporary shutdown at one of its UAE data centres in the me-central-1 region after objects struck the facility, causing sparks and a fire. 

Amazon’s cloud computing division Amazon Web Services (AWS) has reported a temporary shutdown at one of its data centres in the United Arab Emirates after objects struck the facility, causing sparks and a fire. The incident has led to connectivity issues and increased error rates across several AWS services in the Middle East region, officially known as me-central-1. According to AWS, the disruption began at around 4:30 AM PST. What happened at the AWS UAE data centre? In a statement, AWS said that one of its Availability Zones, identified as mec1-az2, was impacted after objects struck the data centre. The impact created sparks and led to a fire inside the facility. Emergency teams responded, and the local fire department temporarily cut power to the affected site while extinguishing the fire. AWS explained that an “Availability Zone” consists of one or more physical data centres within a region. Each zone is designed to operate independently to improve resilience and reduce downtime. The company added that it may take several hours to fully restore connectivity in the affected zone. Other Availability Zones in the UAE region are operating normally. Which AWS services were affected? According to an alert published on the AWS Health Dashboard, multiple services experienced increased error rates. Impacted services include: AWS Glue AWS Resource Groups AWS Service Catalog Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) AWS described the issue as an operational disruption involving multiple services in the UAE region. Customers reported connectivity fluctuations and service errors during the incident. The disruption occurred as the UAE faces heightened tensions following retaliatory missile and drone strikes linked to the ongoing conflict between Iran, the United States and Israel. Several airports, ports and residential areas across the UAE and parts of the Gulf have reportedly been affected in recent days. When asked whether the data centre incident was directly connected to the strikes, AWS did not confirm or deny any link. The company’s statement focused only on the operational impact and restoration efforts.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) reported a temporary shutdown at one of its UAE data centres in the me-central-1 region after objects struck the facility, causing sparks and a fire.&nbsp;

AWS UAE data centre hit by fire after Iranian missile strike, multiple cloud services disrupted

A major outage has hit ad Amazon Web Services (AWS), severely impacting several popular online gaming platforms, according to outage-tracking website Downdetector. Thousands of users were affected worldwide, including the US. Over 4,000 users were impacted by the outage in the US, while nearly 35,000 players across the world reported being unable to connect to its servers.&nbsp;The AWS is yet to respond on the outage that began on Wednesday. The disruption is not only limited to individual games, but related platforms like Epic Games Store and PlayStation Network have also been impacted, claim users on various social media platforms.&nbsp;This has come at a time when when online gaming activity typically surges, thus adding to the frustration of gamers.<h2>Frequent outages becoming norm?</h2>Such incidents have become a frequent occurrenc. In October , a large AWS outage affected platforms like Amazon Prime Video, Perplexity AI and Snapchat. Thousands of users had reported problems then, according to Downdetector. Roblox, McDonald’s, Coinbase, Canva and Goodreads were among other platforms to be affected.&nbsp;While in November, Cloudflare, which protects millions of websites from cyberattacks, suffered faced a short outage due to which platforms like Zerodha, Groww, Canva and Downdetector had to face problems.&nbsp;

The Amazon Web Services (AWS) disruption is not only limited to individual games, but many related platforms have also been impacted by the outage.

A major outage has hit ad Amazon Web Services (AWS), severely impacting several popular online gaming platforms, according to outage-tracking website Downdetector. Thousands of users were affected worldwide, including the US. Over 4,000 users were impacted by the outage in the US, while nearly 35,000 players across the world reported being unable to connect to its servers. The AWS is yet to respond on the outage that began on Wednesday. The disruption is not only limited to individual games, but related platforms like Epic Games Store and PlayStation Network have also been impacted, claim users on various social media platforms. This has come at a time when when online gaming activity typically surges, thus adding to the frustration of gamers. Frequent outages becoming norm? Such incidents have become a frequent occurrenc. In October , a large AWS outage affected platforms like Amazon Prime Video, Perplexity AI and Snapchat. Thousands of users had reported problems then, according to Downdetector. Roblox, McDonald’s, Coinbase, Canva and Goodreads were among other platforms to be affected. While in November, Cloudflare, which protects millions of websites from cyberattacks, suffered faced a short outage due to which platforms like Zerodha, Groww, Canva and Downdetector had to face problems.

The Amazon Web Services (AWS) disruption is not only limited to individual games, but many related platforms have also been impacted by the outage.

AWS faces disruption, several online gaming platforms affected. Here's what to know

Amazon is preparing to lay off up to 30,000 corporate employees starting Tuesday (October 28), as part of an ongoing effort to reduce costs and correct over hiring during the pandemic’s peak demand, according to reports. While this number represents a small portion of Amazon’s total 1.55 million workforce, it’s nearly 10% of the 350,000 corporate employees. This round of cuts follows the company’s previous elimination of 27,000 roles in late 2022.&nbsp;The job cuts will span several divisions, including Human Resources (People Experience and Technology), operations, devices, services, and Amazon Web Services (AWS), reports suggest. Managers in affected teams were trained on Monday (October 27) to prepare for notifying employees, who will receive emails starting Tuesday (October 28).&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/musk-launches-grokipedia-his-truthful-ai-rival-to-wikipedia-netizens-slam-its-word-to-word-copied-content-1761646545561">Musk launches Grokipedia, his ‘truthful’ AI rival to Wikipedia, netizens slam its 'word to word' copied content</a><h2>Why is Amazon laying off its employees?</h2>CEO Andy Jassy’s push to streamline operations includes reducing unnecessary layers of management, driven in part by feedback from an anonymous tip line that has led to numerous process changes. The company’s reliance on AI for automation is also expected to further reduce the need for human labour, particularly in repetitive tasks.&nbsp;This move signals that Amazon is achieving sufficient productivity gains through AI to justify reducing its workforce. Additionally, pressure to manage short-term expenses and fund long-term AI investments may be fueling the cuts. A program introduced earlier this year requiring employees to return to the office five days a week has also contributed to the layoffs, with some workers being told they voluntarily resigned for not complying.&nbsp;The tech sector as a whole has seen significant layoffs, with approximately 98,000 job losses in 2024 alone. Amazon’s cloud division, AWS, continues to be a key revenue driver, though it reported slower growth compared to rivals like Microsoft and Google Cloud. In the face of these cuts, Amazon remains optimistic about the holiday season, offering 250,000 seasonal roles and planning a reorganisation within its diversity-focused PXT unit. Despite the job cuts, Amazon's stock rose by 1.2% as it prepares to announce its third-quarter earnings this week.

Amazon layoffs: E-commerce giant to cut 30,000 jobs as AI and cost-cutting measures take hold

Amazon is preparing to lay off up to 30,000 corporate employees starting Tuesday (October 28), as part of an ongoing effort to reduce costs and correct over hiring during the pandemic’s peak demand, according to reports. While this number represents a small portion of Amazon’s total 1.55 million workforce, it’s nearly 10% of the 350,000 corporate employees. This round of cuts follows the company’s previous elimination of 27,000 roles in late 2022. The job cuts will span several divisions, including Human Resources (People Experience and Technology), operations, devices, services, and Amazon Web Services (AWS), reports suggest. Managers in affected teams were trained on Monday (October 27) to prepare for notifying employees, who will receive emails starting Tuesday (October 28). Also Read: Musk launches Grokipedia, his ‘truthful’ AI rival to Wikipedia, netizens slam its 'word to word' copied content Why is Amazon laying off its employees? CEO Andy Jassy’s push to streamline operations includes reducing unnecessary layers of management, driven in part by feedback from an anonymous tip line that has led to numerous process changes. The company’s reliance on AI for automation is also expected to further reduce the need for human labour, particularly in repetitive tasks. This move signals that Amazon is achieving sufficient productivity gains through AI to justify reducing its workforce. Additionally, pressure to manage short-term expenses and fund long-term AI investments may be fueling the cuts. A program introduced earlier this year requiring employees to return to the office five days a week has also contributed to the layoffs, with some workers being told they voluntarily resigned for not complying. The tech sector as a whole has seen significant layoffs, with approximately 98,000 job losses in 2024 alone. Amazon’s cloud division, AWS, continues to be a key revenue driver, though it reported slower growth compared to rivals like Microsoft and Google Cloud. In the face of these cuts, Amazon remains optimistic about the holiday season, offering 250,000 seasonal roles and planning a reorganisation within its diversity-focused PXT unit. Despite the job cuts, Amazon's stock rose by 1.2% as it prepares to announce its third-quarter earnings this week.

As per reports, Amazon will cut 30,000 corporate jobs, including in HR and AWS, as it aims to streamline operations and leverage AI for increased productivity, despite record profits

On Monday (Oct 20), Amazon Web Services (AWS) faced an outage, and thousands of websites and apps were knocked out. The company said it has identified the root cause of the issue and is resolving it. Amazon provides cloud services to government and other users, which include data storage, on-demand computing power, and other digital services. The outage impacted social media apps like Reddit and Snapchat; the disruption in the server impacted users worldwide as these platforms use cloud infrastructure. Even streaming platforms like Amazon's Prime Video service and Disney+ were affected. Perplexity AI, the Fortnite game, Airbnb, and Duolingo also experienced the outage.&nbsp;<h2>What happened?</h2>&nbsp;AWS’s cloud infrastructure manages nearly one-third of the planet’s cloud infrastructure. And the issue was first flagged at 7:11 AM GMT, and it affected 76 services as per the company. Amazon initially noted, “We are investigating increased error rates and latencies for multiple AWS services in the US-EAST-1 Region. We will provide another update in the next 30-45 minutes.”&nbsp;Later added, “We have narrowed down the source of the network connectivity issues that impacted AWS Services. The root cause is an underlying internal subsystem responsible for monitoring the health of our network load balancers. We are throttling requests for new EC2 instance launches to aid recovery and actively working on mitigations.”Amazon has said over 65 services have been resolved, and they continue to work to fix the major issue.&nbsp;<h2>Who all were impacted?</h2> From social media users to government and other companies relying on the cloud services provided by AWS were impacted. Even mobile telephone services and messaging apps like Signal and WhatsApp were affected in Europe. Lloyds bank in the UK was also impacted.&nbsp;<h2>Here’s a list of apps and websites:</h2>&nbsp;·&nbsp;Snapchat - social media·&nbsp;Fortnite - gaming service&nbsp;·&nbsp;Duolingo - language-learning app&nbsp;·&nbsp;Venmo - payment app&nbsp;·&nbsp;Signal - messaging app&nbsp;·&nbsp;Slack - corporate communications tool&nbsp;·&nbsp;Reddit - social media&nbsp;

 Amazon Web Services outage impacted social media apps like Reddit and Snapchat; the disruption in the server impacted users worldwide as these platforms use cloud infrastructure. 

On Monday (Oct 20), Amazon Web Services (AWS) faced an outage, and thousands of websites and apps were knocked out. The company said it has identified the root cause of the issue and is resolving it. Amazon provides cloud services to government and other users, which include data storage, on-demand computing power, and other digital services. The outage impacted social media apps like Reddit and Snapchat; the disruption in the server impacted users worldwide as these platforms use cloud infrastructure. Even streaming platforms like Amazon's Prime Video service and Disney+ were affected. Perplexity AI, the Fortnite game, Airbnb, and Duolingo also experienced the outage. What happened? AWS’s cloud infrastructure manages nearly one-third of the planet’s cloud infrastructure. And the issue was first flagged at 7:11 AM GMT, and it affected 76 services as per the company. Amazon initially noted, “We are investigating increased error rates and latencies for multiple AWS services in the US-EAST-1 Region. We will provide another update in the next 30-45 minutes.” Later added, “We have narrowed down the source of the network connectivity issues that impacted AWS Services. The root cause is an underlying internal subsystem responsible for monitoring the health of our network load balancers. We are throttling requests for new EC2 instance launches to aid recovery and actively working on mitigations.” Amazon has said over 65 services have been resolved, and they continue to work to fix the major issue. Who all were impacted? From social media users to government and other companies relying on the cloud services provided by AWS were impacted. Even mobile telephone services and messaging apps like Signal and WhatsApp were affected in Europe. Lloyds bank in the UK was also impacted. Here’s a list of apps and websites: · Snapchat - social media · Fortnite - gaming service · Duolingo - language-learning app · Venmo - payment app · Signal - messaging app · Slack - corporate communications tool · Reddit - social media

&nbsp;Amazon Web Services outage impacted social media apps like Reddit and Snapchat; the disruption in the server impacted users worldwide as these platforms use cloud infrastructure.&nbsp;

Internet services disrupted worldwide due to Amazon cloud outage. What really happened?

Amazon Prime Video has quietly removed its controversial “James Bond” artwork after facing widespread criticism for digitally erasing 007’s signature firearm from classic promotional images. The edited posters, unveiled last week on the Prime Video UK platform, showed the iconic British spy without his trademark Walther PPK, a move that fans quickly slammed as unnecessary censorship.&nbsp;The updated thumbnails for Bond films such as Dr. No, GoldenEye, and A View to a Kill replaced the pistol with awkwardly posed arms or cropped frames, leading to what fans called “a disarmed Bond.” In one instance, Roger Moore’s arms appeared digitally lengthened to remove his weapon entirely, prompting confusion and ridicule online.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/hollywood/dwayne-johnson-reacts-to-career-low-opening-of-the-smashing-machine-here-s-what-he-said-1759840099162">Dwayne Johnson reacts to career-low opening of The Smashing Machine</a>&nbsp;

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">They photoshopped all the guns out of the James Bond movie thumbnails. Just in case you still had hope for Amazon being in charge of the franchise. <a href="https://t.co/eeosPEPFnJ">pic.twitter.com/eeosPEPFnJ</a>&mdash; John A. Douglas (@J0hnADouglas) <a href="https://twitter.com/J0hnADouglas/status/1974160271448174917?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 3, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<h2>Fans call out “cultural vandalism”</h2>The backlash was swift. Writer Scott McCrea labeled the edits “nothing less than cultural vandalism,” while author John A. Douglas shared the altered posters on X with the caption, “They photoshopped all the guns out of the James Bond movie thumbnails. Just in case you still had hope for Amazon being in charge of the franchise.”&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/before-the-conjuring-last-rites-streams-on-ott-watch-these-7-chilling-horror-thrillers-on-netflix-prime-and-more-1759838913201">Before The Conjuring: Last Rites streams on OTT, watch these 7 horror thrillers</a>&nbsp;Actor Rufus Jones also weighed in with his trademark humour, quipping, “Amazon have removed the guns from their Bond posters, giving the tantalising impression that Sean Connery and Pierce Brosnan think you’re a wanker.”&nbsp;Other users joined the mockery, posting comments like “just being disarming, darling,” and “Sneak peek of the upcoming James Bond remasters in 8K.”&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/hollywood/got-spinoff-when-and-where-to-watch-prequel-series-a-knight-of-the-seven-kingdoms-1759836686396">GOT spinoff: When &amp; where to watch prequel series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms</a><h2>Amazon backs down after James Bond Day</h2>The uproar coincided with James Bond Day on October 5, an occasion meant to celebrate the legacy of the spy franchise. Instead, fans accused Amazon of “sanitizing” one of cinema’s most iconic characters. Following the backlash, Prime Video swiftly replaced the doctored images with standard film stills, notably, none featuring Bond holding a gun.&nbsp;While Amazon has yet to issue an official statement, Deadline reports confirmed that the streamer “quietly” removed the altered artwork from its UK listings.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/hollywood/is-marty-supreme-timothee-chalamet-s-best-role-yet-early-reactions-say-yes-1759832028020">Is Marty Supreme Timothee Chalamet’s best role yet? Early reactions say yes!</a><h2>A warning sign for the future of 007?</h2>The controversy arises as Amazon MGM Studios prepares for the next chapter of the Bond franchise, reportedly under the direction of Denis Villeneuve. Some fans fear the censorship signals a more “sanitized” future for the spy once known for his suave ruthlessness.&nbsp;One X user said, “Bond without his gun is like Batman without his cape- you’ve stripped away the very symbol of who he is.”&nbsp; &nbsp;

Amazon Prime Video has quietly edited James Bond posters by removing 007’s signature firearm from classic promotional images, leading to backlash from fans. 

Amazon Prime Video has quietly removed its controversial “James Bond” artwork after facing widespread criticism for digitally erasing 007’s signature firearm from classic promotional images. The edited posters, unveiled last week on the Prime Video UK platform, showed the iconic British spy without his trademark Walther PPK, a move that fans quickly slammed as unnecessary censorship. The updated thumbnails for Bond films such as Dr. No, GoldenEye, and A View to a Kill replaced the pistol with awkwardly posed arms or cropped frames, leading to what fans called “a disarmed Bond.” In one instance, Roger Moore’s arms appeared digitally lengthened to remove his weapon entirely, prompting confusion and ridicule online. Also Read: Dwayne Johnson reacts to career-low opening of The Smashing Machine

Amazon Prime Video has quietly edited James Bond posters by removing 007’s signature firearm from classic promotional images, leading to backlash from fans.&nbsp;

Did Amazon really disarm James Bond? Fans react to edited posters

&nbsp;Volkswagen has extended its partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS) by another five years to explore more in artificial intelligence (AI) and for cloud computing to make its factories more efficient and reduce costs.&nbsp;The collaboration, first launched in 2019, created a Digital Production Platform (DPP) that connects Volkswagen factories to Amazon’s cloud system. As per the company, the platform is already being used in 43 locations across Europe, North America and South America.<h2>What the partnership means</h2>Volkswagen said&nbsp;the extended deal with Amazon Web Services will allow its production plants to connect more seamlessly, making complex vehicle assembly processes easier to manage.&nbsp;“Our ambition is to become a global technology driver for the automotive industry. To this end, we are consistently digitising and networking our company in all areas,” said Hauke Stars, Volkswagen’s Chief Information Officer.&nbsp;As of now the company has 114 production sites worldwide, and the company expects the wider use of AI and cloud technologies to improve efficiency and reliability across operations.<h2>Focus on cost savings</h2>By using cloud and AI systems, they estimates that it could save tens of millions of euros in the medium term.&nbsp;The platform allows real-time monitoring of production lines, predictive maintenance of equipment, and optimisation of supply chains, helping reduce waste and improve quality.&nbsp;According to Volkswagen, the cloud-based system also makes it easier to share innovations between factories, ensuring that improvements tested in one plant can be quickly rolled out to others.&nbsp;Many automakers are turning to technology partnerships Volkswagen is not the only automaker turning to technology partnerships. Car companies worldwide are investing in AI and cloud computing to speed up production, reduce emissions, and to meet the growing demand for electric vehicles.

Volkswagen has extended its partnership with Amazon Web Services for five years to boost efficiency with AI and cloud computing. The Digital Production Platform, already in 43 sites, will help cut costs, improve reliability, and speed up innovation across global factories.

Volkswagen has extended its partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS) by another five years to explore more in artificial intelligence (AI) and for cloud computing to make its factories more efficient and reduce costs. The collaboration, first launched in 2019, created a Digital Production Platform (DPP) that connects Volkswagen factories to Amazon’s cloud system. As per the company, the platform is already being used in 43 locations across Europe, North America and South America. What the partnership means Volkswagen said the extended deal with Amazon Web Services will allow its production plants to connect more seamlessly, making complex vehicle assembly processes easier to manage. “Our ambition is to become a global technology driver for the automotive industry. To this end, we are consistently digitising and networking our company in all areas,” said Hauke Stars, Volkswagen’s Chief Information Officer. As of now the company has 114 production sites worldwide, and the company expects the wider use of AI and cloud technologies to improve efficiency and reliability across operations. Focus on cost savings By using cloud and AI systems, they estimates that it could save tens of millions of euros in the medium term. The platform allows real-time monitoring of production lines, predictive maintenance of equipment, and optimisation of supply chains, helping reduce waste and improve quality. According to Volkswagen, the cloud-based system also makes it easier to share innovations between factories, ensuring that improvements tested in one plant can be quickly rolled out to others. Many automakers are turning to technology partnerships Volkswagen is not the only automaker turning to technology partnerships. Car companies worldwide are investing in AI and cloud computing to speed up production, reduce emissions, and to meet the growing demand for electric vehicles.

Volkswagen has extended its partnership with Amazon Web Services for five years to boost efficiency with AI and cloud computing. The Digital Production Platform, already in 43 sites, will help cut costs, improve reliability, and speed up innovation across global factories.

Volkswagen extends Amazon Web Services deal for 5 years to cut costs using AI

Amazon Web Services, the cloud computing unit of Internet giant Amazon.com Inc., said on Wednesday that it plans to spend 8 billion pounds ($10.45 billion) in Britain over the next five years to build, operate and maintain data centres.

The investment project will add up to 14 billion pounds to the country's gross domestic product by the end of 2028 while supporting more than 14,000 jobs at British businesses, according to the company.

The project reflects an acceleration in the pace of Amazon's investment in Britain. Since 2022, AWS has invested £3 billion in facilities in London and Manchester.

"Our team that builds our data centres globally take into account multiple levers that they have to look at before they can decide where to put data centres...from power to water to the local environment," Tanuja Randery, a managing director at AWS, told Reuters.

She singled out the use of artificial intelligence as among the factors driving demand for cloud services.

The company has invested heavily across Europe this year, announcing a 15.7 billion euro investment in Spain and another 7.8 billion euros in Germany.

Many large corporate customers that had hit the pause button on cloud computing spending last year have started to spend once again, analysts and executives said, with interest in artificial intelligence driving a rebound of growth in the $270 billion cloud infrastructure market.

British finance minister Rachel Reeves, who has been courting foreign investors ahead of an investment summit on Oct. 14, welcomed the investment.

The government said the data centres would be sited to support demand in London and to the west, but Amazon would not disclose their exact locations for security reasons.

"The government is also actively engaged in conversations with the company about investments in other parts of the UK," the finance ministry said.

Amazon Web Services, the cloud computing unit of Internet giant Amazon.com Inc., said on Wednesday that it plans to spend 8 billion pounds ($10.45 billion) in Britain over the next five years to build, operate and maintain data centres.

Amazon Web Services, the cloud computing unit of Internet giant Amazon.com Inc., said on Wednesday that it plans to spend 8 billion pounds ($10.45 billion) in Britain over the next five years to build, operate and maintain data centres. The investment project will add up to 14 billion pounds to the country's gross domestic product by the end of 2028 while supporting more than 14,000 jobs at British businesses, according to the company. The project reflects an acceleration in the pace of Amazon's investment in Britain. Since 2022, AWS has invested £3 billion in facilities in London and Manchester. "Our team that builds our data centres globally take into account multiple levers that they have to look at before they can decide where to put data centres...from power to water to the local environment," Tanuja Randery, a managing director at AWS, told Reuters. She singled out the use of artificial intelligence as among the factors driving demand for cloud services. The company has invested heavily across Europe this year, announcing a 15.7 billion euro investment in Spain and another 7.8 billion euros in Germany. Many large corporate customers that had hit the pause button on cloud computing spending last year have started to spend once again, analysts and executives said, with interest in artificial intelligence driving a rebound of growth in the $270 billion cloud infrastructure market. British finance minister Rachel Reeves, who has been courting foreign investors ahead of an investment summit on Oct. 14, welcomed the investment. The government said the data centres would be sited to support demand in London and to the west, but Amazon would not disclose their exact locations for security reasons. "The government is also actively engaged in conversations with the company about investments in other parts of the UK," the finance ministry said.

Amazon to fuel UK economy with $10.45 billion cloud expansion

Amazon is set to invest $10.75 billion amid booming demand for its products in Europe's biggest economy. This brings Amazon's planned investments in Germany to over $19 billion.

Most of the investment will be spent by 2026 to expand its computing unit, Amazon Web Service (AWS). This aligns with a broader trend of companies focusing on expanding their AI-related services.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz welcomed the investment, which is said to create more than 4000 jobs this year. Germany is currently dealing with an economic downturn triggered by high energy costs and interest rates. The country is also facing significant economic threats owing to EU-China trade tensions. Major industries have voiced concerns over potential losses if tensions escalate. At this time, such an investment is a good breather for Germany.

Regarding Amazon's partnerships in Europe, Just Eat Takeaway, Europe's biggest food delivery firm, has struck a deal with Amazon over free delivery of food orders for Amazon Prime members in Germany, Austria and Spain. Amazon struck a similar agreement with Just Eat's US business - GrubHub.

Amazon is set to invest $10.75 billion amid booming demand for its products in Europe's biggest economy. This brings Amazon's planned investments in Germany to over $19 billion.

Amazon is set to invest $10.75 billion amid booming demand for its products in Europe's biggest economy. This brings Amazon's planned investments in Germany to over $19 billion. Most of the investment will be spent by 2026 to expand its computing unit, Amazon Web Service (AWS). This aligns with a broader trend of companies focusing on expanding their AI-related services. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz welcomed the investment, which is said to create more than 4000 jobs this year. Germany is currently dealing with an economic downturn triggered by high energy costs and interest rates. The country is also facing significant economic threats owing to EU-China trade tensions. Major industries have voiced concerns over potential losses if tensions escalate. At this time, such an investment is a good breather for Germany. Regarding Amazon's partnerships in Europe, Just Eat Takeaway, Europe's biggest food delivery firm, has struck a deal with Amazon over free delivery of food orders for Amazon Prime members in Germany, Austria and Spain. Amazon struck a similar agreement with Just Eat's US business - GrubHub.

Amazon invests billions in Germany to expand cloud services and boost jobs

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is in talks with the Italian government about considerably expanding its data centre operations in the country, according to four people familiar with the situation. This move is part of AWS's broader goal to expand its cloud computing capabilities all over Europe.<o:p></o:p>

The conversations are ongoing, and the specifics of the investment's magnitude and potential sites have yet to be determined. According to one insider, AWS is considering either expanding its current facility in Milan or building a new site entirely. Both AWS and a representative from Italy's cabinet office's digital transition section declined to comment. The Italian Industry Ministry was not immediately available for comment.<o:p></o:p>

AWS launched its first cloud region in Italy in 2020, with plans to invest €2 billion ($2.175 billion) by 2029. Its Italian clients include well-known firms like luxury manufacturer Ferrari and insurer Assicurazioni Generali.<o:p></o:p>

This potential investment in Italy follows AWS's recent announcement of a €15.7 billion ($17.08 billion) data centre investment in Spain's Aragon region, which represents a significant increase from the €2.5 billion ($2.72 billion) plan announced in 2021. Despite the considerable volume of the Spanish investment, one source claimed that AWS's commitment in Italy might not be as large.<o:p></o:p>

AWS has committed to investing €7.8 billion ($8.49 billion) in Germany by 2040. Furthermore, AWS is constructing infrastructure to serve telecom services, which require significant resources. Earlier this month, it signed its first telecom client, Telefonica Deutschland, with intentions to shift one million users to the AWS cloud.<o:p></o:p>

Last year, AWS announced plans to house data on servers in the European Union to protect the privacy of governmental and regulated business clients. This initiative is part of a larger trend among major firms to recommence cloud computing spending, fuelled by a growing interest in artificial intelligence, which is reviving development in the $270 billion global cloud infrastructure market.<o:p></o:p>

Competitors including Alphabet and Microsoft are also increasing their cloud footprints in Italy. Alphabet invested €1 billion ($1.09 billion) to construct cloud regions for Italy's largest bank, Intesa Sanpaolo, while Microsoft announced the establishment of its first cloud region in Italy as part of a $1.5 billion investment plan revealed in 2020.<o:p></o:p>

As AWS continues to negotiate with Italy, the IT behemoth's actions reflect a deliberate push to strengthen its cloud service offerings across Europe, catering to rising demand driven by technical breakthroughs and the changing needs of enterprise customers.<o:p></o:p>

(With inputs from Reuters)<o:p></o:p>

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is in talks with the Italian government about considerably expanding its data centre operations in the country, according to four people familiar with the situation.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is in talks with the Italian government about considerably expanding its data centre operations in the country, according to four people familiar with the situation. This move is part of AWS's broader goal to expand its cloud computing capabilities all over Europe. The conversations are ongoing, and the specifics of the investment's magnitude and potential sites have yet to be determined. According to one insider, AWS is considering either expanding its current facility in Milan or building a new site entirely. Both AWS and a representative from Italy's cabinet office's digital transition section declined to comment. The Italian Industry Ministry was not immediately available for comment. AWS launched its first cloud region in Italy in 2020, with plans to invest €2 billion ($2.175 billion) by 2029. Its Italian clients include well-known firms like luxury manufacturer Ferrari and insurer Assicurazioni Generali. This potential investment in Italy follows AWS's recent announcement of a €15.7 billion ($17.08 billion) data centre investment in Spain's Aragon region, which represents a significant increase from the €2.5 billion ($2.72 billion) plan announced in 2021. Despite the considerable volume of the Spanish investment, one source claimed that AWS's commitment in Italy might not be as large. AWS has committed to investing €7.8 billion ($8.49 billion) in Germany by 2040. Furthermore, AWS is constructing infrastructure to serve telecom services, which require significant resources. Earlier this month, it signed its first telecom client, Telefonica Deutschland, with intentions to shift one million users to the AWS cloud. Last year, AWS announced plans to house data on servers in the European Union to protect the privacy of governmental and regulated business clients. This initiative is part of a larger trend among major firms to recommence cloud computing spending, fuelled by a growing interest in artificial intelligence, which is reviving development in the $270 billion global cloud infrastructure market. Competitors including Alphabet and Microsoft are also increasing their cloud footprints in Italy. Alphabet invested €1 billion ($1.09 billion) to construct cloud regions for Italy's largest bank, Intesa Sanpaolo, while Microsoft announced the establishment of its first cloud region in Italy as part of a $1.5 billion investment plan revealed in 2020. As AWS continues to negotiate with Italy, the IT behemoth's actions reflect a deliberate push to strengthen its cloud service offerings across Europe, catering to rising demand driven by technical breakthroughs and the changing needs of enterprise customers. (With inputs from Reuters)

Amazon in talks with Italy for major AWS data centre expansion

The technological competitors of Google on Thursday announced a project which will be aimed at making data sets required for building map features available for free. 
The world of online mapping is dominated by Alphabet-owned Google which provides its services to other platforms or companies and improves its other offerings like online advertising, using navigation and location capabilities.

Creating ripples in the Google-dominated market, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, TomTom and Meta have introduced “Overture Maps Foundation”, which is aimed at providing comprehensive mapping data freely to anyone who may need it for use, said non-profit Linux Foundation, in a press release.

ALSO READ|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/google-says-it-does-not-change-search-results-amid-hong-kong-anthem-row-543340">Google says it does not change search results amid Hong Kong anthem row</a>

"Mapping the physical environment and every community in the world, even as they grow and change, is a massively complex challenge that no one organization can manage," Linux Foundation executive director Jim Zemlin said. "Industry needs to come together to do this for the benefit of all,” he added.

The team of technological companies announced to work on Overture, did not include Google. However, it added that its goal is to increase membership for increasing the work’s progress. By mid-2023, the group of tech firms are expected to release their first mapping datasets.

"Immersive experiences, which understand and blend into your physical environment, are critical to the embodied internet of the future," said Erik Solem, engineering director of Maps at Meta Jan, in the press release.

WATCH|&nbsp;WION Fineprint: Google Chrome is most vulnerable browser in 2022

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/wion-fineprint-google-chrome-is-most-vulnerable-browser-in-2022-523417/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"By delivering interoperable open map data, Overture provides the foundation for an open metaverse built by creators, developers, and businesses alike,” he added.

The Linux Foundation said that map data is used in applications for navigation, search, autonomous driving, games, logistics and more. The Overture map data will be provided as an open source, which will allow developers to not only use its data but also to build on it, said the Linux Foundation.

(With inputs from agencies)

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe>

The technological competitors of Google on Thursday announced a project which will be aimed at making data sets required for building map features available for free.

The technological competitors of Google on Thursday announced a project which will be aimed at making data sets required for building map features available for free. The world of online mapping is dominated by Alphabet-owned Google which provides its services to other platforms or companies and improves its other offerings like online advertising, using navigation and location capabilities. Creating ripples in the Google-dominated market, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, TomTom and Meta have introduced “Overture Maps Foundation”, which is aimed at providing comprehensive mapping data freely to anyone who may need it for use, said non-profit Linux Foundation, in a press release. ALSO READ| Google says it does not change search results amid Hong Kong anthem row "Mapping the physical environment and every community in the world, even as they grow and change, is a massively complex challenge that no one organization can manage," Linux Foundation executive director Jim Zemlin said. "Industry needs to come together to do this for the benefit of all,” he added. The team of technological companies announced to work on Overture, did not include Google. However, it added that its goal is to increase membership for increasing the work’s progress. By mid-2023, the group of tech firms are expected to release their first mapping datasets. "Immersive experiences, which understand and blend into your physical environment, are critical to the embodied internet of the future," said Erik Solem, engineering director of Maps at Meta Jan, in the press release. WATCH| WION Fineprint: Google Chrome is most vulnerable browser in 2022 "By delivering interoperable open map data, Overture provides the foundation for an open metaverse built by creators, developers, and businesses alike,” he added. The Linux Foundation said that map data is used in applications for navigation, search, autonomous driving, games, logistics and more. The Overture map data will be provided as an open source, which will allow developers to not only use its data but also to build on it, said the Linux Foundation. (With inputs from agencies)

Google’s rival tech firms join hands to make comprehensive mapping data

Several users could not avail many services of Amazon due to an outage on Tuesday. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Amazon’s website, Prime Video and other applications, which use Amazon Web Services (AWS), were hit due to issues related to application programming interface (API). API is a set of protocols used for building and integrating application software, Amazon said as per a Reuters report. &nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/sonys-playstation-executive-appears-in-pedophile-sting-video-gets-axed-434755" hreflang="en">Sony’s PlayStation executive appears in pedophile sting video, gets axed</a>

On its service health dashboard, Amazon, said, “We are experiencing API and console issues in the US-EAST-1 region.” In the report, it added that the issue has been identified and action was being taken to fix it. &nbsp;

According to the company, it was working on a number of different “mitigation and resolution actions” and could not give an estimated time by when the services will be completely back online. &nbsp;

Over 24,000 incidents of issues with Amazon were reported by people, showed Downdetector. The website is known to track outages as it collects reports from several sources. &nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/man-of-his-word-musk-again-fulfils-promise-owns-no-home-in-us-state-now-434970" hreflang="en">Man of his word? Musk again fulfils promise, ‘owns no home’ in US state now</a>

Duolingo, Tinder and Internet Movie Database (IMDb) were affected by this outage as per Downdetector. &nbsp;&nbsp;

The outage also led to issues in delivery operations, mobile banking app Chime, Amazon’s Ring security cameras and robot vacuum cleaner maker iRobot, as per sources. &nbsp;

On its website, iRobot, said, “A major Amazon Web Services (AWS) outage is currently impacting our iRobot Home App.” &nbsp;&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Several users could not avail many services of Amazon due to an outage on Tuesday. Amazon’s website, Prime Video and other applications, which use Amazon Web Services (AWS), were hit due to issues related to application programming interface (API).

Several users could not avail many services of Amazon due to an outage on Tuesday. Amazon’s website, Prime Video and other applications, which use Amazon Web Services (AWS), were hit due to issues related to application programming interface (API). API is a set of protocols used for building and integrating application software, Amazon said as per a Reuters report. Also Read: Sony’s PlayStation executive appears in pedophile sting video, gets axed On its service health dashboard, Amazon, said, “We are experiencing API and console issues in the US-EAST-1 region.” In the report, it added that the issue has been identified and action was being taken to fix it. According to the company, it was working on a number of different “mitigation and resolution actions” and could not give an estimated time by when the services will be completely back online. Over 24,000 incidents of issues with Amazon were reported by people, showed Downdetector. The website is known to track outages as it collects reports from several sources. Also Read: Man of his word? Musk again fulfils promise, ‘owns no home’ in US state now Duolingo, Tinder and Internet Movie Database (IMDb) were affected by this outage as per Downdetector. The outage also led to issues in delivery operations, mobile banking app Chime, Amazon’s Ring security cameras and robot vacuum cleaner maker iRobot, as per sources. On its website, iRobot, said, “A major Amazon Web Services (AWS) outage is currently impacting our iRobot Home App.” (With inputs from agencies)

Server error? Outage hits Amazon Web Services users hard as Prime Video, Duolingo, Tinder face issues  

Amazon CEO <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/amazon-ceo-jeff-bezos-to-step-down-360973">Jeff Bezos</a> announced that Andy Jassy would be taking over as CEO of the company after he steps down later this year.

Jassy, 52, heads the company's valuable on-demand cloud computing division Amazon Web Services(AWS).

The Harvard educated employee has been with the company ever since the inception of Amazon Web Services in 2006. He had joined as a marketing manager in 1997, just three years after the retail giant was founded by Bezos.&nbsp;

Jassy got his MBA from Harvard Business School. "He will be an outstanding leader, and he has my full confidence," Bezos said about Jassy as the Amazon chief decided to step down.

Jassy's promotion puts the Web Services division in focus which has been a profitable centre for the company for several years and is used by millions.

The current Amazon Web services chief live in Seattle where the retail giant has its headquarters.

As Bezos marked his exit as CEO with a booming net profit of $125.56 billion in the fourth quarter ending December 31 from $87.44 billion, AWS recorded $12.7 billion in sales in the fourth quarter.

In December last year, BlackBerry and Amazon had announced an alliance to create a cloud computing platform that cars could link to for services.

“AWS and &nbsp;BlackBerry &nbsp;are making it possible for any automaker to continuously reinvent the customer experience and transform vehicles from fixed pieces of technology into systems that can grow and adapt with a user’s needs and preferences," said AWS chief executive Andy Jassy had said as he sought to create new businesses for the retail megacorp.

Interestingly, Amazon Inc. shares went up&nbsp;one per cent on the Nasdaq after the announcement of Bezos departure as Jassy looks to take control.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos announced that Andy Jassy would be taking over as CEO of the company after he steps down later this year. Jassy, 52, heads the company's valuable on-demand cloud computing division Amazon Web Services(AWS).

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos announced that Andy Jassy would be taking over as CEO of the company after he steps down later this year. Jassy, 52, heads the company's valuable on-demand cloud computing division Amazon Web Services(AWS). The Harvard educated employee has been with the company ever since the inception of Amazon Web Services in 2006. He had joined as a marketing manager in 1997, just three years after the retail giant was founded by Bezos. Jassy got his MBA from Harvard Business School. "He will be an outstanding leader, and he has my full confidence," Bezos said about Jassy as the Amazon chief decided to step down. Jassy's promotion puts the Web Services division in focus which has been a profitable centre for the company for several years and is used by millions. The current Amazon Web services chief live in Seattle where the retail giant has its headquarters. As Bezos marked his exit as CEO with a booming net profit of $125.56 billion in the fourth quarter ending December 31 from $87.44 billion, AWS recorded $12.7 billion in sales in the fourth quarter. In December last year, BlackBerry and Amazon had announced an alliance to create a cloud computing platform that cars could link to for services. “AWS and BlackBerry are making it possible for any automaker to continuously reinvent the customer experience and transform vehicles from fixed pieces of technology into systems that can grow and adapt with a user’s needs and preferences," said AWS chief executive Andy Jassy had said as he sought to create new businesses for the retail megacorp. Interestingly, Amazon Inc. shares went up one per cent on the Nasdaq after the announcement of Bezos departure as Jassy looks to take control.

Meet Andy Jassy, next Amazon CEO after Jeff Bezos

Cloud, music, AI: How Jeff Bezos turned Amazon into the 'everything store'

The US Department of Defense said Thursday it wants to reconsider its decision to award a multi-billion-dollar military cloud computing contract to Microsoft in a bidding process Amazon claims was tainted by politics.

A judge last month issued an order at Amazon's request temporarily blocking the US military from starting work on the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure contract, or JEDI.

In a filing late Thursday in a federal court, government attorneys asked for the matter to be "remanded," or sent back, to the Pentagon "for 120 days to reconsider certain aspects of the challenged agency decision."

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/latest-world-news-amazon-wants-trump-esper-to-testify-in-fight-for-10-billion-pentagon-contract-279956">Amazon wants Trump, Esper to testify in fight for $10 billion Pentagon contract</a>

It is up to the court whether the case is remanded or proceeds.

The DoD attorneys said the move came in response to the judge stalling the awarding of the JEDI contract on the grounds Amazon Web Services (AWS) would "likely be able to show" that the department erred in evaluating its proposal.

"We are pleased that the DoD has acknowledged 'substantial and legitimate' issues that affected the JEDI award decision, and that corrective action is necessary," an AWS spokesperson said in a statement.

Also see:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/jeff-bezos-amazon-win-tussle-against-trump-over-major-defence-contract-280612">Amazon wins as US court blocks Microsoft's Pentagon cloud contract</a>

"We look forward to complete, fair, and effective corrective action that fully insulates the re-evaluation from political influence and corrects the many issues affecting the initial flawed award."

Amazon argues it was shut out of the deal because of President Donald Trump's vendetta against the company and its chief executive Jeff Bezos.&nbsp;

It is seeking testimony from the president and other top officials on the reasons for awarding the $10 billion, 10-year US military cloud computing contract to Microsoft.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/tech-events-cancelled-across-the-world-over-coronavirus-concerns-286017">Tech events cancelled across the world over coronavirus concerns</a>

"DoD wishes to reconsider its award decision in response to the other technical challenges presented by AWS," the government attorneys said in the filing.

"A remand here is in the interests of justice because it will provide the agency with an opportunity to reconsider the award decision at issue in light of AWS's allegations, this court's opinion, and any new information gathered."

The JEDI program will ultimately see all military branches sharing information in a cloud-based system boosted by artificial intelligence.&nbsp;

Also see:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/after-amazon-walmarts-flipkart-challenges-india-antitrust-probe-282034">After Amazon, Walmart's Flipkart challenges India antitrust probe</a>

An earlier court filing by Amazon detailed alleged errors that ended with Microsoft being chosen over its AWS cloud computing division, part of the technology group led by Bezos.

Bezos, who also owns The Washington Post, is a frequent target of the US president, who claims the newspaper is biased against him.

Amazon was considered the lead contender to provide technology for JEDI, with AWS dominating the cloud computing arena and the company already providing classified servers for other government agencies including the CIA.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/pentagon-looks-for-defence-to-putins-invincible-hypersonic-missiles-277593">Pentagon looks for 'defence' to Putin's 'invincible' hypersonic missiles</a>

Amazon argued in court documents that the Pentagon's choice of Microsoft was mystifying if not for Trump's repeated "expressed determination to, in the words of the president himself, 'screw Amazon.'"

The protest filed in the US Court of Federal Claims urges that the rival JEDI bids be re-evaluated.

The US Department of Defense said Thursday it wants to reconsider its decision to award a multi-billion-dollar military cloud computing contract to Microsoft in a bidding process Amazon claims was tainted by politics.

The US Department of Defense said Thursday it wants to reconsider its decision to award a multi-billion-dollar military cloud computing contract to Microsoft in a bidding process Amazon claims was tainted by politics. A judge last month issued an order at Amazon's request temporarily blocking the US military from starting work on the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure contract, or JEDI. In a filing late Thursday in a federal court, government attorneys asked for the matter to be "remanded," or sent back, to the Pentagon "for 120 days to reconsider certain aspects of the challenged agency decision." Also read: Amazon wants Trump, Esper to testify in fight for $10 billion Pentagon contract It is up to the court whether the case is remanded or proceeds. The DoD attorneys said the move came in response to the judge stalling the awarding of the JEDI contract on the grounds Amazon Web Services (AWS) would "likely be able to show" that the department erred in evaluating its proposal. "We are pleased that the DoD has acknowledged 'substantial and legitimate' issues that affected the JEDI award decision, and that corrective action is necessary," an AWS spokesperson said in a statement. Also see: Amazon wins as US court blocks Microsoft's Pentagon cloud contract "We look forward to complete, fair, and effective corrective action that fully insulates the re-evaluation from political influence and corrects the many issues affecting the initial flawed award." Amazon argues it was shut out of the deal because of President Donald Trump's vendetta against the company and its chief executive Jeff Bezos. It is seeking testimony from the president and other top officials on the reasons for awarding the $10 billion, 10-year US military cloud computing contract to Microsoft. Also read: Tech events cancelled across the world over coronavirus concerns "DoD wishes to reconsider its award decision in response to the other technical challenges presented by AWS," the government attorneys said in the filing. "A remand here is in the interests of justice because it will provide the agency with an opportunity to reconsider the award decision at issue in light of AWS's allegations, this court's opinion, and any new information gathered." The JEDI program will ultimately see all military branches sharing information in a cloud-based system boosted by artificial intelligence. Also see: After Amazon, Walmart's Flipkart challenges India antitrust probe An earlier court filing by Amazon detailed alleged errors that ended with Microsoft being chosen over its AWS cloud computing division, part of the technology group led by Bezos. Bezos, who also owns The Washington Post, is a frequent target of the US president, who claims the newspaper is biased against him. Amazon was considered the lead contender to provide technology for JEDI, with AWS dominating the cloud computing arena and the company already providing classified servers for other government agencies including the CIA. Also read: Pentagon looks for 'defence' to Putin's 'invincible' hypersonic missiles Amazon argued in court documents that the Pentagon's choice of Microsoft was mystifying if not for Trump's repeated "expressed determination to, in the words of the president himself, 'screw Amazon.'" The protest filed in the US Court of Federal Claims urges that the rival JEDI bids be re-evaluated.

Pentagon 'wishes to reconsider' awarding JEDI contract to Microsoft

Intel Corp shares fell nearly 2 percent on Thursday as investors worried about the potential financial liability and reputational hit from recently disclosed security flaws in its widely used microprocessors.

The largest chipmaker had confirmed on Wednesday that flaws reported by researchers could allow hackers to steal sensitive information from computers, phones and other devices.

Apple Inc, Microsoft Corp and other software makers have issued patches to protect against the vulnerabilities.

Intel may be on the hook for costs stemming from lawsuits claiming that the patches would slow computers and effectively force consumers to buy new hardware, and big customers will likely seek compensation from Intel for any software or hardware fixes they make, security experts said.

&quot;The potential liability is big for Intel,&rdquo; said Eric Johnson, dean of Vanderbilt University&rsquo;s Owen Graduate School of Management. &quot;Everybody will be scrambling over the next few days to figure out just how big it is.&quot;

Intel has said that the patches for the bugs would slow its chips down somewhat but that most users will not notice.

Amazon Web Services (AWS), the largest seller of cloud computing services, said in a statement it does not &quot;expect meaningful performance impact for most customer workloads.&quot;

Microsoft and Alphabet Inc&rsquo;s Google both said in statements on their websites that they expect few performance problems for most of their cloud computing customers.

But the incident is likely to spur cloud companies to press Intel for lower prices on chips in future talks, said Kim Forrest, senior equity research analyst at Fort Pitt Capital Group in Pittsburgh, which owns shares in Intel.

&quot;What (Intel&rsquo;s cloud customers) are going to say is, &lsquo;You wronged us, we hate you, but if we can get a discount, we&rsquo;ll still buy from you,&quot; Forrest said.

Forrest also expects Intel will have to increase its chip development spending to focus on security.

<figure>
Government agencies and security experts said they knew of no cyber attacks that had exploited the vulnerabilities.

Financial services firms were studying information on the vulnerabilities to determine how to best respond, said the Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center, a global industry group known as FS-ISAC that shares data on cyber threats.

Banks and other firms are trying to understand what it will cost to respond to the issue, FS-ISAC said in an emailed statement.

&quot;In addition to the security considerations raised by this design flaw, performance degradation is expected, which could require more processing power for affected systems to compensate and maintain current baseline performance,&quot; FS-ISAC said.

&quot;There will need to be consideration and balance between fixing the potential security threat vs the performance and another possible impact on systems.&quot;

Lawyers filed a lawsuit in San Jose, California, federal court on Wednesday that sought class-action status and compensation for people who had bought vulnerable Intel chips or computers that came with them already installed.

Intel did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday about the lawsuit.

While more lawsuits are expected, Intel&rsquo;s biggest customers are likely to quietly seek compensation for any harm caused by the vulnerabilities, including costs to patch machines or replace microprocessors, Johnson said.

Legal experts said that consumers would have to prove concrete damages and harm to proceed with claims.

Intel shares fell 1.8 percent, following a 3.4 percent decline Wednesday.

Shares in rival Advanced Micro Devices Inc climbed 4.9 percent as investors speculated the No. 2 maker of microprocessors would woo customers away from Intel.

Still, researchers had said some of AMD&rsquo;s chips had one of the two vulnerabilities disclosed on Wednesday, as do processors from ARM Holdings.
</figure>

The largest chipmaker had confirmed on Wednesday that flaws reported by researchers could allow hackers to steal sensitive information from computers, phones and other devices

Intel Corp shares fell nearly 2 percent on Thursday as investors worried about the potential financial liability and reputational hit from recently disclosed security flaws in its widely used microprocessors. The largest chipmaker had confirmed on Wednesday that flaws reported by researchers could allow hackers to steal sensitive information from computers, phones and other devices. Apple Inc, Microsoft Corp and other software makers have issued patches to protect against the vulnerabilities. Intel may be on the hook for costs stemming from lawsuits claiming that the patches would slow computers and effectively force consumers to buy new hardware, and big customers will likely seek compensation from Intel for any software or hardware fixes they make, security experts said. "The potential liability is big for Intel,” said Eric Johnson, dean of Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management. "Everybody will be scrambling over the next few days to figure out just how big it is." Intel has said that the patches for the bugs would slow its chips down somewhat but that most users will not notice. Amazon Web Services (AWS), the largest seller of cloud computing services, said in a statement it does not "expect meaningful performance impact for most customer workloads." Microsoft and Alphabet Inc’s Google both said in statements on their websites that they expect few performance problems for most of their cloud computing customers. But the incident is likely to spur cloud companies to press Intel for lower prices on chips in future talks, said Kim Forrest, senior equity research analyst at Fort Pitt Capital Group in Pittsburgh, which owns shares in Intel. "What (Intel’s cloud customers) are going to say is, ‘You wronged us, we hate you, but if we can get a discount, we’ll still buy from you," Forrest said. Forrest also expects Intel will have to increase its chip development spending to focus on security. Government agencies and security experts said they knew of no cyber attacks that had exploited the vulnerabilities. Financial services firms were studying information on the vulnerabilities to determine how to best respond, said the Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center, a global industry group known as FS-ISAC that shares data on cyber threats. Banks and other firms are trying to understand what it will cost to respond to the issue, FS-ISAC said in an emailed statement. "In addition to the security considerations raised by this design flaw, performance degradation is expected, which could require more processing power for affected systems to compensate and maintain current baseline performance," FS-ISAC said. "There will need to be consideration and balance between fixing the potential security threat vs the performance and another possible impact on systems." Lawyers filed a lawsuit in San Jose, California, federal court on Wednesday that sought class-action status and compensation for people who had bought vulnerable Intel chips or computers that came with them already installed. Intel did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday about the lawsuit. While more lawsuits are expected, Intel’s biggest customers are likely to quietly seek compensation for any harm caused by the vulnerabilities, including costs to patch machines or replace microprocessors, Johnson said. Legal experts said that consumers would have to prove concrete damages and harm to proceed with claims. Intel shares fell 1.8 percent, following a 3.4 percent decline Wednesday. Shares in rival Advanced Micro Devices Inc climbed 4.9 percent as investors speculated the No. 2 maker of microprocessors would woo customers away from Intel. Still, researchers had said some of AMD’s chips had one of the two vulnerabilities disclosed on Wednesday, as do processors from ARM Holdings.

Intel shares fall as investors worry about costs of chip flaw