With many companies looking for stronger safeguards after recent internet disruptions exposed weaknesses in single-cloud setups, the launch comes just in time.

Both firms said the service allows customers to build secure, high-capacity connections between Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google Cloud in minutes. Before now, many organisations waited weeks to complete the same process due to the technical and approval delays tied to cross-cloud circuits.

Just over a month ago, AWS suffered a major outage on October 20 that spread through its US-East-1 region. A faulty update to DynamoDB’s API triggered DNS failures across the zone, breaking more than 113 AWS services and knocking out platforms such as Snapchat, Reddit, Coinbase and Alexa. 

Analysts estimate the disruption costs U.S. companies between $500 million and $650 million. For many firms, the incident revealed the risk of placing all operations on a single cloud provider.

In response, interest in multicloud resilience has grown. The new service blends AWS’ Interconnect–multicloud with Google Cloud’s Cross-Cloud Interconnect. The aim is to remove friction for organisations that want systems running across several clouds without slow setup cycles or unpredictable routing.

AWS vice president of network services, Robert Kennedy, said the development points to a major shift in how cloud platforms interact. “This collaboration between AWS and Google Cloud represents a fundamental shift in multicloud connectivity.”

Google Cloud also noted the benefit for companies moving large volumes of data between providers. Its vice president and general manager of cloud networking, Rob Enns, stated that the joint framework is meant to simplify workload mobility. Salesforce is one of the early adopters of the new model, according to Google.

Cloud competition is highly intense. AWS continues to top the global market with roughly 29–30% share, while Microsoft Azure holds about 20% and Google Cloud has climbed toward 13%. 

In the third quarter alone, the cloud infrastructure market was valued at around $107 billion, controlled largely by these three companies.

Heavy investment in infrastructure is expected to continue. Increasing demand for artificial intelligence is pushing cloud providers to expand data centres, improve capacity and strengthen network routes. 

AWS recently committed to a multi-year $38 billion partnership with OpenAI, offering access to large clusters of Nvidia GPUs. Google and Microsoft are making similar bets, as AI workloads remain one of the biggest drivers of cloud growth.

In working together on a cross-cloud standard, Amazon and Google have taken an unusual step. The two companies are long-standing competitors, but the new partnership shows a shared interest in reducing latency and making multicloud operations easier for enterprise customers. 

For large users like Salesforce, the ability to deploy cross-cloud links in minutes rather than weeks may prove decisive as businesses seek more resilient infrastructure after recent outages.

The decision comes just days before the EU’s new Data Act takes effect on 12 September.

The Data Act is designed to break down limitations in the cloud market by reducing vendor lock-in, giving businesses more freedom to move data between providers, and ensuring fair competition. Under the new rules, cloud firms will no longer be able to impose excessive switching costs, with stricter bans on most fees expected by 2027.

Google’s “Data Transfer Essentials” goes further than the law requires. Instead of charging “at cost,” as the Act permits, the company is offering multicloud transfers at no cost. 

Jeanette Manfra, Google Cloud’s senior director of global risk and compliance, confirmed the decision in a blog post: “Although the Act allows cloud providers to pass through costs to customers, Data Transfer Essentials is available today at no cost to customers.”

This makes Google a more customer-friendly option compared to AWS and Microsoft. Microsoft only introduced at-cost transfer fees in the EU in late August, while AWS says its European customers can request reduced rates in certain cases.

For organisations that rely on multiple cloud providers to boost flexibility and resilience, the latest development could reduce financial and technical issues. Analysts note that Google’s decision may appeal particularly to small and medium-sized businesses, which usually face the steepest challenges when navigating cloud contracts.

The EU and UK have both complained about the dominance of U.S. cloud giants. Collectively, AWS, Microsoft, and Google control over two-thirds of the European cloud market. 

Regulators have accused Microsoft of using restrictive licensing that disadvantages smaller providers. Meanwhile, lawmakers in France have flagged risks around data sovereignty, warning that U.S. laws such as the CLOUD Act could allow American authorities to access data stored in Europe.