Alphabet Inc.’s Google launched a local cloud computing region for Israel on Thursday, delivering cloud services to the country’s government and military in a move expected to enhance job creation and economic growth.
Billions of shekels will be invested in local infrastructure as part of the initiative, Israel’s Finance Ministry said on Thursday.
In May 2021, Israel agreed to the $1 billion, four-phase Nimbus initiative with Google and Amazon Web Services (AWS).
According to the government, the economic impact of Google’s Israeli cloud region alone will add an estimated $7.6 billion to Israel’s GDP by 2030 as well as more than 21,000 jobs in the high-tech sector and others that support cloud activities.
According to the ministry, AWS will also activate a local cloud region in the first half of 2023.
The cloud zones in Israel will make it possible to move important government computer systems there, improving services’ effectiveness, reducing the time it takes to activate digital services, and saving operational expenses.
As part of the Nimbus agreement, Google and Amazon will make reciprocal purchases and begin business collaboration in Israel, equal to 20 percent of the contract value.
