SINGAPORE – Amazon today launched its second corporate office for Amazon Web Services in the central business district, cementing its footprint in both the city and the greater Asia Pacific region.

The sprawling space – the company’s second hub in Singapore – will serve as the APAC headquarters for the cloud computing arm.

The move underscores the e-commerce and tech giant’s bullish stance on Singapore as a regional nerve centre for digital innovation and talent development.

Situated at IOI Central Boulevard Towers, the new AWS APAC offices occupy eight floors for a total of 360,000 square feet of workspace. It can house up to 3,000 employees across more than 100 local and regional teams.

The opening marks a significant expansion from Amazon’s existing corporate office at Asia Square in Marina Bay, which opened in 2021 and accommodates 700 employees across three floors.

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AWS investments to boost Singapore's GDP

Amazon’s move is backed by a hefty investment pledge.

In May 2024, the company unveiled an additional S$12 billion (US$8.8 billion) commitment to Singapore’s cloud infrastructure from 2024 to 2028.

This is expected to contribute S$23.7 billion to Singapore’s GDP and support 12,300 full-time equivalent jobs annually within local businesses.

Janil Puthucheary, Singapore’s Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information, hailed the investment as a critical boost for workforce development, particularly in high-growth areas such as software engineering, machine learning, and data centre operations.

“We have to not just look at our undergraduate pipeline of students coming through, but those people who are in jobs, mid-career, middle-aged, looking to pivot from one career to the other,” he said at the office opening.

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An epicentre of innovation in APAC

The new AWS office will also house the company’s first flagship executive briefing centre in Asia, offering a strategic venue for high-level discussions on digital transformation.

A special space – dedicated to a regional innovation hub – is also set to open by the third quarter of this year, further cementing Singapore’s role as a technology hub.

With more than 2,500 employees across its cloud, corporate, retail, technology, and operations divisions in Singapore, Amazon is looking to grow its workforce further.

The company plans to hire over 100 additional employees for cloud and corporate roles, reinforcing its commitment to local talent development.

Amazon’s expansion is more than an investment into office real estate. Industry observers believe it’s also a bet on Singapore’s future as a tech powerhouse.

With talent development initiatives, high-value job creation, and regional leadership in cloud computing, the city-state is solidifying its status as a critical player in the digital economy.