Australia has signed a $2 billion deal with Amazon Web Services to migrate its top-secret intelligence data to the cloud. This move aims to enhance the interoperability of the country’s defense forces with the United States. The Signals Directorate, Australia’s national security agency, will increase its use of artificial intelligence to analyze data and build top-secret data centers in Australia as part of the transition.
Minister of Defense Richard Marles highlighted that the shift to Amazon cloud services will improve the resilience of the data supporting defense forces and ensure a common computing operating environment with U.S. defense forces in the future. Director General of the Australian Signals Directorate, Rachel Noble, emphasized the significance of artificial intelligence in the intelligence community, stressing the importance of ethical and well-governed use.
Director General of National Intelligence, Andrew Shearer, emphasized the priority of interoperability with security partners like the United States. Australian Prime Minister Antonio Albanese noted the potential of the partnership to enhance national security capabilities and create 2,000 local jobs.
This move by the Australian government comes as AWS expands its presence in the Asia-Pacific region, with plans to invest in Taiwan to establish data centers. However, AWS has faced criticism, including protests calling for the end of a contract with the Israeli government. Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk recently expressed surprise at AWS’s revenue, highlighting its significant trailing 12-month revenue.
Overall, this strategic partnership between Australia and AWS aims to enhance national security capabilities, promote interoperability with key security partners, and leverage artificial intelligence for intelligence analysis. The migration of top-secret intelligence data to the cloud represents a significant step towards modernizing Australia’s defense infrastructure.
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