AWS posted on its health dashboard Tuesday that some Middle East capacity won't be coming back. The company said the damage at several Bahrain locations exceeded its service design limits. In AWS's words: "After a thorough assessment, we have determined that we are unable to restore access to the resources and data hosted exclusively in this region."
In another notice, AWS reported that a single UAE availability zone cannot have its resources and data restored. Restoration efforts continue for two additional UAE zones impacted by the incidents. These posts are the company's first public updates on the incidents since April.
Back in March, Amazon said two UAE data centers were hit directly by drones and a Bahrain facility was harmed by a nearby strike. It advised customers to shift workloads to other AWS regions and cautioned that Middle East instability was likely to persist, making operations "unpredictable."
Responsibility was claimed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which said the Bahrain site was chosen because Amazon supports the U.S. military.
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The strikes have sharpened questions about how to secure new data centers in the Gulf even as the region races to serve an AI-era buildout. In May 2025, OpenAI, Nvidia, Oracle and Cisco signed on as core partners for the UAE's Stargate initiative, a giant campus once expected to deliver 5 gigawatts of capacity across 10 square miles.
Reuters said the UAE is considering revisions to the project - dispersing sites nationwide and strengthening protections by, among other measures, burying certain facilities below ground, employing blast-resistant concrete, and installing systems to intercept drones and missiles - according to people familiar with the discussions.
If you run on the cloud, this is a reminder that availability has a real-world component. AWS urged customers to move workloads after the strikes, and the company says it is still committed to serving customers in Bahrain and the UAE. Expect more details on the UAE "in the coming months," with Bahrain updates slated for early 2027. For everyday investors, watch how providers redesign where and how they build capacity, because resilience costs can ripple into pricing and regional choices for digital services you rely on.
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