Amazon puts its chips on New Zealand. Tech mega-giant says, “Let’s spend $4.4 billion US dollars.” That’s like NZ$7.5 billion. Where’s the money going? Right into building and running big data centers, right here in New Zealand. The move is expected to create hundreds of new jobs in the country.
A Cloudy Future with Real Jobs
Amazon, the company folks use for shopping and streaming, wants more than that now. The company’s Amazon Web Services (AWS) opened a new cloud region in the country. They said, “This will make jobs. Over a thousand people every year—not robots, but real jobs for real people.” That’s good. The Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon, said, “It’s big. The biggest tech company investment we ever had.” The new region for AWS brings cloud power to the country. That means New Zealanders can use cloud stuff faster, with less lag. Like, push a button, and things happen nearly right away.
Boosting the Country’s Wallet
What about the money? Experts say, “Amazon’s plan will help New Zealand’s economy a lot.” Like, almost NZ$10.8 billion more for the country over a bunch of years. Chris Luxon was pretty happy. “Growth, growth, growth above everything,” he said at the launch party.
Skills for Kiwis, Learning for Youth
AWS says it cares about making sure Kiwis get skills too. Already, they have trained more than 50,000 local people to use cloud skills. But that’s only the start, AWS says. The big budget will mean more folks can get tech jobs and even become experts.
What’s in These Centers, Anyway?
These centers? Supercomputers. Room full of servers. Lots of smart wires. They store a lot of stuff, like photos, documents, Netflix shows, and even school homework for kids—when the school uses the cloud. They’re clean, packed with power, and guarded by security. They are even built to handle outages or wild weather because they spread the buildings out.
Powering AI as well
Not just for usual stuff. Now, Amazon wants these centers to help with artificial intelligence (AI). More AI and machine learning gear. Techies and app makers in New Zealand won’t have to send data all around the world. The data can stay right here and save time.
Why Pick New Zealand?
Amazon says Kiwis are pretty good at new tech. Plus, the country wants to be a leader in digital jobs and green energy. AWS is planning to use renewable energy for these centers, making them cleaner for nature. Fun fact: New Zealand is pricier than Australia for building things, so Amazon is hoping for better local rules to let them finish projects fast.
More Than Just an Office
Not only a job for computer nerds. Amazon’s building means jobs for people making the buildings, fixing wires, setting up power, and many other spots. It even helps local businesses, like electricians, engineers, and train conductors, because everybody’s got to move the big equipment and keep the centers running. The minister said jobs are spread across the whole supply chain.
Training and Digital Future
Amazon and the New Zealand government signed to train 100,000 folks in the next few years. They already got 50,000 done. That means more computer-skilled Kiwis in the future.
What’s Next?
Amazon’s not stopping here. They have plans for three more big regions—one in Chile, one in Saudi Arabia, and one in Europe. New Zealand is part of a worldwide club now.
(Source: AWS, Capacitymedia, Investing, Morningstar)
