Amazon Web Services, Amazon’s cloud infrastructure arm is set to launch an AWS Local Zone in Kenya in a move to bring AWS compute, storage, database, and other services closer to end users or on-premises data centers.

Working with Safaricom, AWS Local Zones will allow customers to use core AWS services locally while seamlessly connecting to the rest of their workloads running in AWS Regions with the same elasticity, pay-as-you-go model, AWS APIs, and toolsets.

ALlready available in South Africa, AWS Local Zones will allow customers in Kenya to run their applications in on-premises data centers and seamlessly connect to AWS while ensuring ultra-low latency via AWS APIs and tools. The Kenyan launch will join 16 existing AWS Local Zones across the United States and an additional 32 AWS Local Zones set to be launched in 26 countries around the world starting in 2022.

 “AWS Local Zones will empower more public and private organizations, innovative startups, and AWS partners to deliver a new generation of leading edge, low-latency applications to end users. Customers can take advantage of the cost savings, scalability, and high availability that AWS provides.” said Robin Njiru, Regional Lead, East, West and Central Africa at Amazon Web Services.

In agreement, Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of ICT, Innovation and YouthAffairs, Mr Joseph Mucheru said, “We are pleased to launch AWS Local Zone in Kenya. This announcement reaffirms our country’s position as an attractive place to invest, powered by a high volume of local talented developers. It will boost the adoption of advanced cloud-based technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Internet of Things while helping to ensure secure use across the Kenyan technology sector.”

The new AWS Local Zones will give customers in Kenya the ability to offer end users single-digit millisecond performance designed to suit applications such as remote real-time gaming, media and entertainment content creation, live video streaming, engineering simulations, augmented and virtual reality, machine learning inference at the edge, and more.

Customers can connect to AWS Local Zones through an internet connection or use AWS Direct Connect—a cloud service that links an organization’s network directly to AWS to deliver consistent, secure, low-latency performance—to route traffic over a private AWS network connection. Amazon will be working with Safaricom in Kenya.

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