The Chancellor has today [11 September]
confirmed an £8 billion investment from Amazon Web Services which
is estimated to support thousands of jobs across the UK.
The Chancellor secured the planned five-year investment last week
at a meeting with Amazon Web Services. The investment is
estimated to support around 14,000 jobs per year at local
businesses, including those across the company's data centre
supply chain such as construction, facility maintenance,
engineering and telecommunications, as well as well as other jobs
within the broader local economy. AWS estimates that these
investments in the UK will contribute £14 billion to the UK's
total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from 2024 to 2028.
will welcome the announcement
as part of the government's long-term mission to boost growth,
unlock investment and make every part of Britain better off.
Speaking from a University Technical College in Silverstone
today, which works with Amazon Web Services to introduce students
to the skills required to enter the digital infrastructure
industry, the Chancellor will warn that ‘change cannot happen
overnight' and ‘two quarters of positive economic growth will not
make up for fourteen years of stagnation under the previous
government.'
Chancellor of the Exchequer, said:
“I am under no illusion to the scale of the challenge facing
our economy and I will be honest with the British people that
change will not happen overnight. Two quarters of positive
economic growth does not make up for fourteen years of stagnation
under the previous government.
“However, this £8 billion investment marks the start of the
economic revival and shows Britain is a place to do business. I
am determined to go further so we can deliver on our mandate to
create jobs, unlock investment and make every part of Britain
better off. The hard work to fix the foundations of our economy
has only just begun.”
Amazon Web Services Vice
President and Managing Director, Europe,
Middle East & Africa (EMEA), Tanuja Randery said:
“The next few years could be among the most pivotal for the
UK's digital and economic future, as organisations of all sizes
across the country increasingly embrace technologies like cloud
computing and AI to help them accelerate innovation, increase
productivity, and compete on the global stage.
“AWS is proud to announce our plans to invest £8 billion in
digital and AI infrastructure over the next five years to help
meet the growing needs of our customers and partners, and support
the transformation of the UK's digital economy.”
Today's investment announcement comes ahead of this year's UK
International Investment Summit on 14 October, where the UK will
bring together the world's most important companies and
investors, demonstrating how the UK's offer is the best in the
world, with political and economic stability, a strategic
government partnering with businesses, a proper trade strategy,
and policies designed to enable growth.
ENDS
BACKGROUND
This press release has been updated to reflect that AWS do
not release the exact location of their data centres for security
reasons.
