Another step in the transition of the Israeli government to the cloud computing domain – the "Project Nimbus": the Amazon AWS (Amazon Web Services) company activated today the local cloud zone in Israel for the first time

The Amazon AWS (Amazon Web Services)  company, which won the tender of the Accountant General for the provision of cloud computing services to the government as part of the first part of the "Project Nimbus", began to operate the local cloud zone in Israel for the first time.

"Project Nimbus" is a multi-year flagship project and the first of its kind in the Israeli government which is led by the Accountant General of the Ministry of Finance through the Government Procurement Administration together with the Israel National Digital Agency, the Israel National Cyber Directorate, the Ministry of Defense, the Israel Defense Force (IDF) and other partners in the government. The "Project Nimbus"  is designed to provide a comprehensive response to the provision of cloud computing services for the Israeli government, including the general national security array and other entities in the economy.

As part of the "Project Nimbus", the cloud computing services will be provided from local cloud computing sites while the information will be processed and stored within the borders of the State of Israel under the provisions of Israeli law, strict information security guidelines, and under the guidance of the relevant authorities in the government. The transition of the Israeli government to the cloud computing services will upgrade the efficiency of government services, shorten the response times in the activation of digital services for the citizenry and save on operating costs while allowing the government ministries to use advanced computing based services.

In addition to this, the "Project Nimbus" has extensive economic effects - the cloud computing services in Israel will enable the consumption of advanced computing services by the Israeli market, promote digital transformation of local services, improve the productivity of businesses, encourage the processing and analysis of huge data activities of local companies in Israel and help promote the ecosystem of the State of Israel in the fields of cloud computing technologies.

As part of the project, billions of shekels will be invested in local infrastructure in Israel, and it is expected to lead to the growth of thousands of jobs in Israel in the high-tech sector and in the industrial and operational sectors that support cloud computing activity.

According to an economic impact study which was published by Amazon, the economic impact of the construction and operation of Amazon's local cloud computing zone alone, according to the company's estimates, is estimated at the addition of over 7,700 new jobs in external companies to the “Project Nimbus” by 2037, with a planned investment of approximately US dollars 7.2 billion in Israel until the year 2037. According to a published study, it is estimated that the construction and operation of the AWS local cloud computing zone in Israel will add about US dollars 13.9 billion to Israel's GDP until the year 2037.

Google (Google Cloud Platform - GCP), which also won the said tender, activated its local cloud zone in Israel in October of 2022.

The Accountant General at the Ministry of Finance, Mr. Yali Rothenberg: "The activation of the public cloud zone in Israel reflects the long-term commitment of the cloud computing companies, Amazon and Google, to Israel and to the continuation of their large investments in the Israeli market. The establishment of the cloud computing sites in Israel by these companies is an expression of confidence on their part in the partnership with the Israeli economy, while investing billions of shekels in the economy that will lead to an increase in the number of jobs in Israel and the Israeli GDP. The ‘Project Nimbus’ will march the State of Israel to the forefront of technological innovation, will accelerate the digital transformation in the activities of the public sector and government services for citizens and businesses, while upgrading the services which are provided to the citizens of Israel, and will encourage the activity of the technological business sector, and all through a stable local infrastructure that meets the strictest security standards. I thank the many partners who are involved night and day in promoting the ‘Project Nimbus; and turning it from a vision into a reality."

The Director of the Government Procurement Administration at the  Division off the Accountant General, Mr. Gal Amir: "The ‘Project Nimbus’ is heart-warming, and marches the Israeli government and the Israeli economy safely towards the era of cloud computing. The ‘Project Nimbus’ is a unique project of its kind in Israel and in the world, centered on a tender for the purchase of cloud computing services, in which precedent setting conditions and requirements were established on a global level, guaranteeing the sovereignty of government information and its protection. The ‘Project Nimbus’ was designed from the beginning with a view from the economy so that the requirements included in it would be those that would respond to both the government and to the entire economy, which thanks to it will receive advanced and secure cloud computing infrastructures in Israel. Thanks to the project, services that are at the forefront of the technological world such as artificial intelligence which is the creator of "GenAI" will be available for purchase in a quick and efficient procedure."