# Canonical recap data for Amazon Web Services Launched (2006)
# Source: https://recap.at/2006/aws-launch
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: aws-launch
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/2006/aws-launch"
title: Amazon Web Services Launched
aliases:
- AWS launch
- Amazon Web Services debut
- cloud computing birth
subtitle: AWS pioneered cloud computing infrastructure, fundamentally reshaping how software is built, deployed, and scaled globally.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 2006-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 2006
decade: 2000
country:
name: United States
slug: united-states
summaryShort: Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS) is a subsidiary of Amazon that provides on-demand cloud computing platforms and APIs to individuals, companies, and governments, on a metered, pay-as-you-go basis.
summaryLong: Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS) is a subsidiary of Amazon that provides on-demand cloud computing platforms and APIs to individuals, companies, and governments, on a metered, pay-as-you-go basis.
lede: Amazon launched AWS on March 14, 2006, offering computing power and storage as a service—basically renting slices of server capacity instead of buying hardware. This fundamentally changed how companies build software, shifting from expensive upfront infrastructure to pay-as-you-go pricing. It became the blueprint for cloud computing as an industry.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/Amazon_Web_Services_2025.svg/1280px-Amazon_Web_Services_2025.svg.png"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Amazon Web Services"
importance: 91
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Launch date
  value: March 14, 2006
- label: Initial offerings
  value: Simple Storage Service (S3) and Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2)
- label: First region
  value: US East (N. Virginia)
- label: Parent company
  value: Amazon.com, Inc.
- label: Public availability
  value: August 2006 for S3, Fall 2006 for EC2
- label: Founding engineer
  value: Chris Pinkham and Benjamin Black led the project
timeline:
- date: 2003-01-01
  title: AWS concept emerges internally
  description: Amazon's infrastructure challenges inspire internal discussions about building reusable computing services.
- date: 2005-09-01
  title: S3 development accelerates
  description: Amazon engineers, including Chris Pinkham, focus on building a scalable storage service for public use.
- date: 2006-03-14
  title: AWS officially announced
  description: Amazon announces Web Services, marking the formal public launch with initial services including S3.
- date: 2006-08-24
  title: S3 becomes publicly available
  description: Simple Storage Service opens to paying customers, allowing anyone to rent storage on Amazon's infrastructure.
- date: 2006-10-01
  title: EC2 beta launches
  description: Elastic Compute Cloud becomes available in beta, letting users rent virtual servers by the hour.
- date: 2006-12-01
  title: EC2 general availability
  description: Elastic Compute Cloud exits beta and becomes generally available, completing the core AWS offering.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_Web_Services"
  title: Amazon Web Services
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: AWS didn't invent cloud computing theory, but it made the concept actually usable and affordable for companies of any size. By 2006, renting computing power by the hour was still a novelty—AWS proved it was the future. The decision to open AWS to the public (rather than keep it internal) seeded an entire sector worth trillions.
categories:
- tech-launch
taxonomy:
domain: technological
eventTypes:
- tech_launch
- platform_shutdown
canonicalClasses:
- creation
- transformation
impactRadius: global
velocity: gradual
predictability: forecastable
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: systemic
lifecycleClass: birth
metaDescription: Amazon Web Services launches as cloud computing platform on March 14, 2006, reshaping how software gets built.
wikidataQid: Q456157
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20060913000000/http://en.wikipedia.org:80/wiki/Amazon_Web_Services"
  capturedAt: 2006-09-13
  label: Amazon Web Services
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_Web_Services"
peoplesVoice:
- source: Jeff Bezos, Amazon CEO and Founder
  voiceType: official
  context: Bezos framed AWS as Amazon's solution to its own infrastructure scaling challenges, positioning it as a business opportunity in 2006.
  excerpt: We saw an opportunity to take the complex infrastructure we had built for ourselves and offer it as a service to other companies.
  sentimentLabel: predictive
  significance: 88
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Amazon shareholder communications and early AWS launch statements
  publishedAt: 2006-03-14
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Burton Lich, Technology Analyst, Gartner
  voiceType: analyst
  context: Early cloud computing skeptics questioned whether outsourcing infrastructure to a retailer made strategic sense for enterprises.
  excerpt: Amazon is a retailer. Does it really have the expertise and track record to run mission-critical IT infrastructure for other companies?
  sentimentLabel: skeptical
  significance: 65
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - 2006-2007 technology press coverage
  publishedAt: 2006-07-15
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Werner Vogels, CTO, Amazon Web Services
  voiceType: developer
  context: Vogels articulated the technical vision for AWS as an enabler of startup agility and reduced capital expenditure in software development.
  excerpt: This allows startups to compete with large enterprises by accessing the same scalable infrastructure without massive upfront investment.
  sentimentLabel: supportive
  significance: 78
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Early AWS technical documentation and conference talks
  publishedAt: 2006-08-20
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Paul Kedrosky, Technology Journalist, Infectious Greed Blog
  voiceType: media
  context: Independent tech commentators recognized AWS as a meaningful departure from traditional IT outsourcing models.
  excerpt: What Amazon is doing here is fundamentally different - utility computing at internet scale. If it works, this changes everything.
  sentimentLabel: celebratory
  significance: 72
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Early 2006 technology blog discourse
  publishedAt: 2006-04-10
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Steven Bellovin, Columbia University Computer Science Professor
  voiceType: expert
  context: Academic security experts raised early concerns about data sovereignty and privacy risks inherent in cloud-hosted infrastructure.
  excerpt: Moving sensitive data outside your own facility creates real security and compliance risks that many organizations aren't prepared to manage.
  sentimentLabel: skeptical
  significance: 68
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - 2006-2007 academic and security conference discussions
  publishedAt: 2006-09-05
  originalLanguage: en
