Amazon’s Bahrain data centre ‘disrupted’ by drone

Amazon Web Services (AWS) said its service has been “disrupted” after Bahrain was targeted by Iranian drones for the second time this month.

The disruption was “due to drone activity in the area”, Reuters reported, quoting an Amazon spokesperson.

Amazon did ⁠not immediately respond to a query on whether its Bahrain data centre was directly hit by ​a drone attack or if the disruption was due to nearby strikes.

Three AWS data centre facilities were struck in the UAE and Bahrain on March 1, disrupting services for customers for at least 48 hours.

“As this situation evolves and, as we have advised before, we request those with workloads in the affected regions continue to migrate to other locations,” the news agency reported, quoting an Amazon statement.

Bahrain has intercepted and destroyed 147 ballistic missiles and 282 drones since the start of the conflict, the state-run Bahrain News Agency reported on Monday, quoting the General Command of the Bahrain Defence Force.

Amazon’s cloud computing unit is crucial for the operation of several websites and government operations. It operates more than 900 data centres worldwide. 

There are more than 150 data centres in the GCC, according to research organisation Data Center Map. Capacity in the region is projected to triple over the next five years, from 1GW to 3.3GW, according to PwC.

Further reading:

• Iran conflict to cause GCC data centre slowdown
• Brookfield says no war impact on $20bn Qatar AI venture
• Force majeure is not a get-out-of-jail-free card