Microsoft and AWS build the multicloud bridge they said customers barely needed
- ID
- 20260
- Status
- summarized
- Published
- 01 Sep 2026, 10:16 PM
- Fetched
- 01 Sep 2026, 10:56 PM
- Provider
- The Register
- Category
- technology
- Original URL
- https://www.theregister.com/off-prem/2026/09/01/microsoft-and-aws-build-the-multicloud-bridge-they-said-customers-barely-needed/5293614
- Source URL
- https://www.theregister.com/headlines.atom
Summary
- Score
- 6.5
- Created
- 01 Sep 2026, 10:57 PM
- Tags
- Audience
- developersvibe_codersdatabase_learnerssaas_founders
What happened
Microsoft and AWS are collaborating on a service combining Azure Multicloud Interconnect with AWS Interconnect, offering private links up to 100 Gbps between the two clouds—currently in preview. This mirrors a similar AWS-Google Cloud arrangement from late last year based on open API specs for network interoperability. Notably, both Microsoft and AWS previously told regulators that multicloud barriers were minimal and customer interest was low.
Why it matters
If you're architecting workloads that span Azure and AWS (e.g., Azure OpenAI models fronting data on AWS, or hybrid database replication), this could replace weeks of manual cross-cloud networking setup with a managed private link. But since it's still in preview with no GA timeline, don't rip out existing Direct Connect/ExpressRoute setups yet—evaluate it for new projects where cross-cloud latency and private connectivity are hard requirements.
Discussion angle
The hypocrisy angle: both vendors told regulators multicloud was easy and barely needed, yet now they're building dedicated interconnects. What does that tell us about real lock-in costs versus the marketing narrative—and should Malaysian builders plan for multicloud or commit to one provider?