AWS Faces $150M Loss and Expands Blockchain Services; Amazon Stakes 29% in X-Energy
Amazon Web Services endured weeks-long outages after Iran-linked drones struck Bahrain and UAE data centers, forcing $150M in customer credits and revealing a war-exclusion insurance gap. Amazon holds 29% of X-Energy after its $1.02B IPO at a $12B valuation, and AWS Marketplace now offers Chainlink oracle services.
1. Drone Strike Losses at AWS Data Centers
Amazon Web Services data centers in Bahrain and the UAE suffered drone attacks linked to Iran, causing service disruptions that lasted weeks. Amazon issued approximately $150 million in customer credits due to downtime, and traditional insurance excluded war-related damage, exposing a coverage gap for critical infrastructure.
2. Significant X-Energy IPO Stake
As part of X-Energy’s Nasdaq debut, Amazon retained 65.8 million shares, equating to a 29% stake pre-IPO. The nuclear energy firm raised $1.02 billion at a $12 billion fully diluted valuation, reflecting Amazon’s strategic investment in advanced power sources for its AI data centers.
3. AWS Marketplace Adds Chainlink Oracles
AWS Marketplace now features Chainlink Data Feeds, Data Streams and Proof of Reserve services, integrating blockchain oracle functionality into Amazon’s cloud ecosystem. This addition is designed to support enterprise and DeFi applications by providing real-time pricing, data delivery and on-chain reserve verification.