Amazon Web Services (AWS) has experienced major outages affecting services across the United Arab Emirates, with disruptions reported by multiple banks and platforms, including Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank and Careem. The outages stem from two power disruptions in late 2025, one of which lasted 13 hours and had global repercussions.
Details have emerged that an internal AI coding assistant named Kiro autonomously made changes that triggered the initial disruption. “The outage happened because Kiro didn’t just suggest a change, it executed the change,” an AWS source noted.
On March 1, drone strikes targeted three AWS facilities in the UAE and Bahrain, critically impairing two out of three cloud availability zones in the UAE region and one in Bahrain. AWS confirmed that these strikes caused structural damage, power disruption, fire, and water damage from suppression systems.
As of March 8, 2026, AWS has not provided an estimated time for recovery, with the company warning that recovery will be prolonged. Observers are concerned about the long-term impact of these drone strikes on AWS operations.
The targeting of international communications infrastructure during wartime has deep historical roots, raising questions about the implications for cloud service providers like AWS.
In addition to the recent outages, AWS has faced challenges in recent months, including the layoff of 14,000 employees in October 2025 and plans to lay off another 16,000 in January 2026. These workforce reductions come as AWS holds 189 UK government contracts valued at £1.7 billion since 2016.
Details remain unconfirmed regarding the exact cause of the outages related to AI tools, leaving many in the industry on alert for further developments.