AWS to build edge cloud location in Brazil’s Fortaleza

Global cloud provider Amazon Web Services (AWS) will build an edge cloud location in Brazil's Ceará state capital Fortaleza.

The announcement was made by governor Camilo Santana and Jeffrey Kratz, AWS general manager for the public sector in Latin America, Canada and the Caribbean.

This will be AWS’ third edge site in Brazil. The other two are in São Paulo and Rio. In Latin America, the company's only cloud region (main datacenter cluster) to date is in Brazil, in São Paulo. The structure was launched in 2011. 

Fortaleza now represents a new edge location.

Contacted by BNamericas, the company did not provide an opening date or investment amount.

With the Ceará facility, AWS will be able to offer secure, reliable and high-performance connectivity integrated into its global network, as well as support for services, including Amazon CloudFront and AWS Global Accelerator.

“We are happy to continue expanding our presence and investments in Brazil in response to customer feedback, bringing even more advanced cloud technologies to customers across Latin America,” Kratz said in a statement.

“Businesses of all sizes and in all industries, including public sector organizations and educational institutions, will be able to enjoy the low latency and high data transfer rates provided by AWS' new edge location in Ceará.”

AWS projects up to 18% lower latency for data delivered through the edge location.

“We want to make Ceará the first 100% digital government in Brazil, and the partnership with AWS is essential for us to achieve this goal. Ceará is the second largest fiber optics cable connectivity point in the world and we have invested in connectivity in all municipalities in the state,” Santana said.

Fortaleza and Fujairah, in the United Arab Emirates, are the cities with most submarine cable landings, which also attracts a host of datacenter projects.

In an interview with BNamericas in July, Júlio Cavalcante, Ceará's secretary of trade, services and innovation, said discussions about datacenter investments with AWS, Oracle, and Microsoft were underway.

With the new facility, AWS’ global infrastructure will reach more than 230 points of presence (PoP) in 91 cities in 47 countries.