In 2022, Amazon Australia saw significant developments in its relationship with the Australian government. Microsoft was chosen to construct high-security data centers for the Office of National Intelligence after 18 months of negotiations. Around the same time, Amazon Web Services (AWS) secured a $174 million contract to provide cloud services to the entire public sector.
AWS also began discussions regarding a data center deal with the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD), leading to the announcement of a groundbreaking partnership on Thursday. The company revealed its largest government contract yet, valued at “at least $2 billion” over the next decade, to build data centers certified as Top Secret Cloud in collaboration with ASD.
The establishment of top-secret data centers in Australia will allow for more secure information sharing between allies and provide defence and intelligence agencies with a protected environment for the development and deployment of artificial intelligence technology.
Mike Bareja, Deputy Director of Cyber, Technology, and Security at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, highlighted the importance of having a top-secret cloud capability in line with other members of the Five Eyes alliance. He noted that the US intelligence community has benefited from a similar setup since 2013, providing substantial technological advancements and capabilities for intelligence and defence agencies.
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