“Greece is changing rapidly. It is really becoming a hub for high-tech investments “, stressed the Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, referring to the investment of Amazon Web Services in our country.
The very important investment of Amazon Web Services was the subject of Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ meeting with company executives a few hours after the announcement that Greece is among the countries where Amazon Web Services will invest in the first expansion of Local Zone infrastructure. outside the United States.
Amazon Web Services Vice President for Global Public Policy Michael Punke, who congratulated the Prime Minister and the government and said he was impressed by Greece’s leaps in a very short time, took part in the discussion online from the USA.
“It’s an important day for Greece, an important day for Amazon. We are very happy to make these important announcements regarding your presence in Greece. I would like to point out one thing: that the country is changing rapidly. “It is really becoming a hub for high-tech investments, especially in data centers, and it is very encouraging for us that very important global” players “choose Greece to have a permanent presence”, the Prime Minister stressed in his introductory statement.
“I think it is another vote of confidence for the prospects of the Greek economy. As you know, we have started a very big effort to digitize the state. We have a policy for “cloud first” and we intend to establish Greece as a data center. The government is fully aligned to support this vision and I am very happy that you are responding to this and that you will significantly increase your presence in Greece “, added Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
“Before entering politics I worked in the field of investment, so I am very, very happy that with a little delay, what I thought could be possible in Greece in terms of technology and innovation, which contributes a significant percentage to Our GDP is happening in practice. And of course, due to COVID many people choose to work from Greece. “What is interesting is that, in a more mobile work environment, we make it much easier to issue visas for ‘digital nomads’ so you can work from anywhere,” he said.
The identity of the investment
The decision of Amazon Web Services to select Greece for the installation of Local Zone, one of a total of 11 that it plans to create throughout Europe, reflects the great investment interest that the country is now attracting.
At the same time, it seals the position of Greece as a regional technology hub, where large companies with a global footprint make strategic investments in infrastructure that will support the fourth industrial revolution and the economy of tomorrow.
Local Zones reduce application latency. They offer computing power, digital storage, databases and other selected services through infrastructures that are installed very close to large urban, industrial and technological centers.
In this way, AWS Local Zones accelerate responses to the minimum millisecond level, effectively facilitating activities such as financial services, multimedia production, live video streaming, high-demand gaming, simulations, and enhanced environments. and virtual reality and machine learning.
Michael Punke, Vice President of Amazon Web Services
For his part, Michael Webke, Vice President of Amazon Web Services in charge of Global Public Policy, stressed that the care shown by the government throughout the preparatory process, as well as the change observed in the Greek economy, contributed to the choice of Greece. of the previous decade and today’s Greece. He also congratulated the Prime Minister for his leading role in the progress of Greece and in the efforts for digitization, stating that he was impressed by what the government has done in such a short period of time.
Introducing the investment, Mr. Punke explained that the Local Area Zone new infrastructure will allow a response of one millisecond, which is very important for many industries, from financial services to healthcare and live streaming video.
“This is the result of the whole range of changes and policy initiatives that have been implemented in recent years. “One of them, as the Prime Minister mentioned, is the policy we have developed to give priority to the cloud,” noted on his part the Minister of State and Digital Government, Kyriakos Pierrakakis.
Mr. Pierrakakis added that “approximately 25% of Greece’s financial portfolio from the Recovery Fund will be channeled to digital services. “Providing short-distance cloud services with a fast response is extremely important to make this policy a reality.”
“The message I want to send is that we are here to help in any case and to solve any problem related to an investment, in order to accelerate it, to improve its financial prospects,” said the Minister of Development during the meeting. and Investment Adonis Georgiadis. “This is the spirit that Mr. Mitsotakis has given, as Prime Minister, to our government.”
The introductory position and the interventions of the Prime Minister
It’s my pleasure to see you. It’s an important day for Greece, an important day for Amazon. We are very happy to make these important announcements regarding your presence in Greece. I would like to point out one thing: that the country is changing rapidly. It really becomes a hub for high-tech investments, especially in data centers, and it is very encouraging for us that very important global “players” choose Greece to have a permanent presence.
I think it is another vote of confidence for the prospects of the Greek economy. As you know, we have started a very big effort to digitize the state. We have a policy for “cloud first” and we intend to establish Greece as a data reception center. The government is fully aligned to support this vision and I am very happy that you are responding to this and that you will significantly increase your presence in Greece.
It is a great pleasure to speak with you. And so you can tell us a little more about your thoughts, ideas and plans in our country.
(…)
Let me add two concluding remarks, which I think are important. First of all, adding to what you have said about the reason given by the COVID tragedy to speed up the digitization process. This is what is happening in Greece at the moment. We have a highly designed vaccination business, fully digital. We systematically increase the services for businesses and citizens that are provided electronically. And if you ask the average Greek citizen what is the most successful thing this government has done, it will tell you that it is the digital transformation.
We were far behind and I think we are becoming leaders. I really think we are making leaps and bounds over other countries in terms of changing the way companies and citizens deal with the Greek state. Of course, this offers many opportunities. We have acted extremely fast in our data policies.
The second thing – which I think you should know, as you already have a presence here, but this change is much more important – is that Greece has now acquired a rapidly developing technological ecosystem.
We probably already have four or five “unicorns” (companies valued at more than $ 1 billion) in Greece, and there is huge interest from startups and technology development funds. And the real reason behind that, I think, has to do with our human resources. We have extremely talented graduates from our main polytechnic universities.
We have a global community of Greeks living abroad, people who left the country during the crisis, who would like to return to Greece to support this transformation in the country. And this leads to the creative work that is already being done, creating a technological space in Greece and which is clearly not only addressed to the Greek market, these companies are addressing the global market even though they are based in Greece. And we are very happy about that. So as you look around the world for opportunities that may go beyond your core business, keep in mind that what is happening in Greece is extremely interesting and I think it is very satisfying for all of us who have worked hard to get this moment to come. .
Before entering politics I have worked in the field of investment, so I am very, very happy that with a slight delay, what I thought could be possible in Greece in terms of technology and innovation which contributes a significant percentage to GDP us, it happens in practice. And of course, due to COVID many people choose to work from Greece. What is interesting is that, in a more mobile work environment, we make it much easier to issue visas for “digital nomads” so that you can work from anywhere.
You know, if you have good connectivity, why not work from a great place, like e.g. in Montana where you are now, and maybe we could encourage you to spend some of your time in Greece, thus dividing your time between Montana and Greece. But I can tell you that this is happening right now. There are many additional benefits in terms of economic activity in all sectors for those who decide to devote part of their time to work based in Greece and not just see Greece as a holiday destination.
I will repeat what the Minister said earlier. You know we are here to help solve any problems that arise. You know that inevitably, there are always issues that need to be addressed, but we are very open and very effective.
And who knows; I had the opportunity to meet Jeff Bezos when he came to Greece in the summer. Maybe we can convince him to do something in the space sector in Greece. This will be another exciting next step. Thank you very much. I look forward to welcoming you to Greece. You know, Greece welcomed a record number of American tourists last year. So maybe you can spend some time in Greece on your next trip to Europe. I will be happy to tell you.
The meeting was attended by the Minister of Development and Investment Adonis Georgiadis, the Minister of State and Digital Government Kyriakos Pierrakakis and the Ministers of State George Gerapetritis and Akis Skertsos. Also present on behalf of the company were Franco Spicciariello, Head of Public Policy for Central and Eastern Europe, Marina Stavrakantonaki, Public Policy Manager for Greece and Cyprus, Athanasios Patsakas, Commercial Sector Lead for Greece and Cyprus, and Public Sector Lead for Greece and Cyprus, Vassilis Kotitsas.
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