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🇬🇧 United Kingdom /Technology

AWS Customers Billed Up to $1.5 Trillion After Global Glitch

From The Guardian · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Amazon Web Services customers worldwide received extraordinarily high bills, some reaching up to $1.5 trillion, due to a global glitch.
  • The astronomical invoices caused panic among users, with one UK customer's bill jumping from under £1 to £5.8 billion.
  • The glitch affected a wide range of AWS clients, from small charities to large businesses, highlighting reliance on cloud services.

Customers of Amazon Web Services were hit with panic-inducing monthly bills reaching as high as $1.5 trillion, a staggering amount caused by a global computer glitch. One user in the UK, accustomed to bills under £1, reported nearly having a heart attack upon seeing an invoice for £5.8 billion.

The astronomical charges have caused alarm among AWS patrons worldwide, from Bangalore to Bolsover. The cloud services giant, which provides data and computing power to millions of users including students, small charities, and major corporations, dispatched the erroneous invoices globally.

This incident has underscored the critical reliance many businesses and individuals place on cloud services, while also raising concerns about the potential for significant financial disruption due to technical failures.

I almost had a heart attack when I saw the £5.8bn invoice.

— UK customerDescribing his reaction to an unexpectedly massive AWS bill.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Guardian in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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