Why this benchmark matters
Choosing the right cloud partner is more than picking a price tag – it’s about aligning the platform’s strengths with your project’s goals. This side‑by‑side look at Amazon Web Services and Scaleway shines a light on the most decisive factors: the breadth of services, geographic reach, sustainability, and the nuances that matter to European‑focused teams.
What to keep an eye on
- Service portfolio: AWS offers the widest range of IaaS, PaaS, serverless, and AI/ML tools, while Scaleway focuses on a streamlined set of compute options (including bare‑metal, GPU instances and Apple macOS VMs) and a strong AI suite.
- Global vs. regional footprint: AWS’s 120 availability zones across 38 regions give you worldwide coverage, whereas Scaleway’s nine zones in three European hubs prioritize data sovereignty and low‑latency for EU users.
- AI/ML capabilities: Compare AWS SageMaker and Bedrock with Scaleway’s GPU‑backed AI Suite, generative APIs, and NVIDIA‑centric services to see which stack fits your model‑training or inference workload.
- Sustainability credentials: Both providers publish PUE numbers, but AWS highlights a global 1.15 PUE target while Scaleway emphasizes renewable‑energy‑powered data centres and 24/7 PUE transparency.
- Support and developer experience: AWS leans on its vast ecosystem of docs, SDKs and training, whereas Scaleway offers 24/7 technical assistance, community Slack channels, and a hands‑on CLI.
- Unique selling points: AWS’s massive partner network and compliance breadth contrast with Scaleway’s European‑centric data‑sovereignty promise, transparent pricing, and the “Nabuchodonosor” supercomputer built on 127 DGX H100 systems.
Use this benchmark as a checklist: match the provider’s strengths to your technical needs, regulatory constraints, and sustainability targets. The right cloud choice will let you focus on building, not on navigating the complexities of the platform.
| Feature | AWS | Scaleway |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Amazon Web Services | Scaleway (European cloud provider) |
| Provider / Owner | Amazon.com, Inc. | iliad Group |
| Headquarters / Base location | Global (operates worldwide) | France |
| Service model | Broad cloud services platform (IaaS, PaaS, Serverless, AI/ML, etc.) | Infrastructure as a Service, Platform as a Service, Serverless |
| Compute offerings | EC2 virtual machines, Lambda serverless functions, dedicated instances, GPU instances via EC2, etc. | Dedicated Bare Metal (Dedibox), Elastic Metal, Virtual Instances (General‑Purpose, Compute‑Optimized, Memory‑Optimized), GPU Instances (L4, L40S, H100 PCIe, RENDER), Serverless Functions, Containers, Jobs, Apple macOS instances (Mac mini M1 – M4) |
| Storage offerings | S3 object storage, EBS block storage, Glacier archival, managed databases (RDS, DynamoDB, Aurora, etc.) | Object Storage, Scaleway Glacier, Block Storage, Managed Databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis, MongoDB), Managed MongoDB, Messaging and Queuing |
| Network services | Virtual Private Cloud, Load Balancers, Direct Connect, Route 53 DNS, Edge services, global backbone | Virtual Private Cloud, Public Gateway, Load Balancer, Edge Services, Domains and DNS |
| AI / ML services | SageMaker, Bedrock, AI/ML services, pre‑trained models, AI infrastructure | GPU‑based AI infrastructure, AI Suite, Generative APIs, Managed Inference, Model‑as‑a‑Service, NVIDIA AI Enterprise, NeMo, Triton Inference Server, TensorRT‑LLM |
| Global infrastructure (regions & availability zones) | 120 Availability Zones across 38 geographic regions worldwide, with upcoming zones in Saudi Arabia, Chile, European Sovereign Cloud | Three European regions (Paris, Amsterdam, Warsaw) each with three Availability Zones, totaling nine zones |
| Sustainability initiatives | 2024 global Power Usage Effectiveness 1.15, best‑region PUE 1.04, Water Usage Effectiveness 0.15 L/kWh, 17 % improvement since 2023 | Renewable‑energy powered data centers, hardware recycling, water‑usage monitoring, publicly published Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) 24/7 |
| Documentation & developer tools | Management Console, extensive documentation, SDKs, CLI, AWS Training and Certification programs | Extensive technical docs, tutorials, code samples, developer videos, step‑by‑step guides; Scaleway CLI; REST API; SDKs for Go, Python, TypeScript; Pulumi provider |
| Support | — | 24/7 technical assistance, fast response, community forums, Slack channels, issue tracking via GitHub |
| Unique / differentiating features | Broadest service portfolio, integrated management console, extensive global network, many compliance certifications, strong partner ecosystem | European data‑sovereignty focus, transparent pricing, renewable‑energy data centers, supercomputer “Nabuchodonosor” (127 DGX H100 systems), close partnership with NVIDIA and Hugging Face |
| Target audience / typical customers | Enterprises, startups, governments, developers, IT professionals, educators, students | European startups, developers, AI researchers, enterprises seeking data sovereignty, customers interested in transparent pricing and sustainability |
Which platform feels right for you?
- It’s for you if you need a massive catalog of services, worldwide reach, and deep compliance coverage. AWS’s 120 Availability Zones across 38 regions let you place workloads close to any user, and its portfolio (IaaS, PaaS, serverless, AI/ML, databases, networking, etc.) means you can stay inside a single console as your architecture grows. This matters when you’re building a global product, handling regulated data in many jurisdictions, or relying on a mature ecosystem of third‑party tools and certifications.
- It’s for you if you value European data‑sovereignty, transparent pricing, and a focused AI/ML stack. Scaleway’s data centres in Paris, Amsterdam and Warsaw keep your data under EU jurisdiction, and its pricing model is straightforward with no hidden tiers. The provider’s specialized GPU instances, AI Suite and partnerships with NVIDIA and Hugging Face give you a lean, high‑performance environment for research or edge AI workloads. This matters when you want to guarantee compliance with GDPR, minimise latency for European users, or keep the cost model simple while still accessing cutting‑edge hardware.
In short, pick AWS when scale, breadth, and global compliance are the primary drivers of your project. Choose Scaleway when European residency, clear pricing, and a tight AI‑focused offering align better with your goals. Your decision will shape everything from latency and regulatory overhead to the tools you’ll use day‑to‑day, so match the platform to the constraints that matter most for your workload.
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