Amazon Web Services (AWS) is introducing a new feature that allows customers to schedule time slots at designated physical locations to connect their storage devices and upload data to AWS cloud.
The AWS Data Transfer Terminal was announced on Sunday at the re:Invent 2024 conference in Las Vegas. Data can be uploaded to various AWS endpoints, such as Amazon S3, Amazon Elastic File System (Amazon EFS), and others, using a high-throughput connection of up to 400 Gbps.
To use this service, customers simply book a time slot at their closest location and visit the terminal to upload their data. They also have the option to designate specific experts or team members from their own company to manage and oversee the data upload process at the AWS Data Transfer Terminal.
Each terminal will have a personal computer, fiber optic cables, and a patch panel that allows users to connect their own computers to the network. The physical connection allows for speedier data uploads to AWS servers than would typically be possible over a regular internet connection.
“On your reserved date and time, visit the location and confirm access with the building reception. You’re escorted by building staff to the floor and your reserved room of the Data Transfer Terminal location,” said Channy Yun, principal developer advocate for AWS Cloud.
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“Don’t be surprised if there are no AWS signs in the building or room. This is for security reasons to keep your work location as secret as possible.”
The first terminals are based in Los Angeles and New York, with plans to add more locations globally. However, AWS has offered few details about the size of the network of transfer points.
According to AWS, the use cases for this new service include “various industries and applications, including video production data for processing in the media and entertainment industry, training data for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) in the automotive industry, migrating legacy data in the financial services industry, and uploading equipment sensor data in the industrial and agricultural.”
With the introduction of the terminals, AWS aims to significantly cut the time it takes to upload large amounts of data. This may allow ingested data to be processed within minutes. Once the data is uploaded to AWS, users have access to the extensive suite of AWS services to generate value from their data.
The service is also compatible with AWS Snowball, which is a physical device designed to transfer large amounts of data to AWS. With the new Data Transfer Terminal, Snowball users don’t have to ship the device to AWS for upload. Instead, they can bring their Snowball device to the terminal to upload data on-site.
“Using AWS Data Transfer Terminal, you can significantly reduce the time of ingesting data with high throughput connectivity in the location nearby you,” Amazon shared via blog post.
“You can upload large datasets from fleets of vehicles operating and collecting data in metro areas for training machine learning (ML) models, digital audio and video files from content creators for media processing workloads, and mapping or imagery data from local government organizations for geographic analysis,” the post added.
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The quick access to data through the terminals allows for immediate quality checks, which are essential for time-sensitive and mission-critical applications.
The ability to upload data through the AWS Data Transfer Terminal could be particularly appealing to companies that have highly sensitive information, such as government bodies, startups with valuable intellectual property, and financial services companies seeking to mitigate the risk of costly data breaches.
As of now, access to the AWS Data Transfer Terminal is priced per hour, at about $300 for US transfers to data centers and $500 for transfers to European services. The pricing model may vary based on network utilization.
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