International tech giant spreads its web in Adelaide

Since arriving in Adelaide, Amazon Web Services has attracted new customers looking to become more competitive on the global stage.

In February 2021, global tech company Amazon installed Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Amazon Sciences at Lot Fourteen. Since then, the company’s AWS platform has attracted new customers looking to become more competitive on the global stage.

Amazon’s cloud computing subsidiary AWS provides support and cloud enablement to local businesses and government agencies, while the Amazon Sciences team carries out world-leading research in artificial intelligence and machine learning. “We are providing our South Australian customers with access to the latest technology to expand their businesses into global markets from their home state, grow emerging workforces, improve customer experiences and lower their operating costs,” says Sarah Bassett, head of AWS South Australia and Western Australia.

Amazon is also focused on expanding its own capabilities, with plans to enhance its innovation programs in the city and create more than 50 jobs by 2024 – with Adelaide the perfect location to grow. “South Australia is fast becoming known for its hi-tech credentials and it is very impressive to see the advocacy for the technology industry across academia, commercial organisations and government agencies,” Bassett says. “This fuels curiosity across multiple generations about careers in this space and also provides an attractive market for investment and expansion.”

Sarah Basset, AWS head of South Australia and Western Australia.

SUPPORTING START-UPS

South Australia’s rich community of hi-tech start-ups is another incentive. “One core focus for us at Lot Fourteen will be to deepen our engagement with start-ups to help them grow and scale,” Bassett says. “We also believe everyone should have the resources and skills to build their best future as a means of driving economic growth and job creation.

“We have built a range of offerings with industry, government and education partners to take on this challenge at a number of fronts, from primary, secondary and tertiary education through to reskilling the existing workforce. This includes the launch of a new AWS Skills Guild at Bendigo and Adelaide Bank that aims to train more than 700 technical and non-technical employees in technical, banking, risk, finance and culture teams by the end of 2021.”

With more than 3500 staff across Australia and having invested more than $3 billion into the Australian economy in infrastructure and jobs in the past decade, establishing its new office in Adelaide further strengthens Amazon’s investment strategy. “Our new office in Adelaide demonstrates our ongoing commitment to invest in Australia, and the long-term potential we believe there is for our nation to be a leader in the global digital economy. We are excited about our future plans.”