The United States has long been considered the leader in technology. It is home to some of the best universities in the world, which are responsible for many milestones in the development and creation of technology. Even though cloud computing was pretty much born in the US, other countries have adopted and made their own contributions to this field of technology.
In 2022, the MIT Review of Technology released an edition of The Global Cloud Ecosystem Index, a ranking of 76 countries based on how well their technology, laws, and talent support cloud services. In this article, we explore some of the countries with the highest scores.
Singapore
The assessment is based on infrastructure; ecosystem adoption; security and assurance; and talent and human affinity. Singapore scored 7, 1, 17, and 2 for each category, respectively. The country ranked first on the list and had an overall score of 8.5 points.
Singapore moved most of its less sensitive government systems to commercial cloud services in 2023 as part of the Digital Government Blueprint. Around 60% of these systems had been moved by February 2023. At that time, the government was aiming to increase this number to 70% between July and September of the same year. Thanks to this shift, 95% of government transactions started to be carried out digitally. User satisfaction was reported to be very high, with the approval of citizens and businesses alike. Employing the Government on the Commercial Cloud (GCC) platform, which supports more than 600 digital services and makes cloud adoption easier for agencies, was one of the key tactics.
According to a May 2024 story by Reuters, Amazon has plans to invest almost $9 billion in order to expand its cloud computing infrastructure in Singapore over the next four years. Amazon has already made an investment of $11.5 billion in the Asia Pacific region. By 2028, the company’s total spending in this area will add up to more than S$23 billion.
Supporting increasing customer demand and consolidating Singapore’s standing as a major innovation hub in Southeast Asia are the two main goals of this expansion. AWS is also collaborating with the government of Singapore and other regional institutions in order to promote the use of generative AI and artificial intelligence (AI).
The move follows similar investments by other tech giants, like Microsoft, which recently announced major cloud services investments in Malaysia and Indonesia. This brings to the fore the region’s increasing importance in the global tech industry.
Finland
In second place, with the same average score as Singapore, Finland had better results in all assessment pillars except ecosystem adoption, with a score of 1. According to the report, Finland is an important center for the European Open Science Cloud. They use cloud technology to support projects like a joint Nordic effort to model climate change.
In Finland, 75% of companies use paid cloud services. These services are most popular in the science, technology, and information and communication fields. Finland has a higher usage rate of cloud services than other EU countries, even Sweden and Denmark, which follow right after in the rank.
Still, Finnish businesses have a hard time finding and training employees with good digital skills. Many companies and workers are missing basic skills like using spreadsheets. To address this, businesses are starting to invest in digital training, but only a few offer regular, complete training programs for everyone.
Sweden
Right behind their Nordic neighbor, Swedes scored an average of 8.4 points. The country earned its place in the rank due to efforts to develop the e-Krona, Sweden’s digital currency, being developed by the Riksbank, Sweden’s central bank. It’s designed to be a central bank digital currency (CBDC), intended to revamp the financial system and make transactions more efficient. Recently, the Riksbank completed a pilot project to test the e-Krona’s ability to work offline, meaning users could still make transactions even without an internet connection.
This involves a “shadow wallet” that stores a copy of the user’s balance on a card or mobile app. While this offline feature adds convenience, especially in areas with unreliable internet, it also raises security and fraud concerns. The Riksbank’s findings suggest that while the technology is promising, more work is needed to ensure it’s secure. As Sweden progresses towards potentially launching the e-Krona, its experiences could influence other countries to consider their own digital currencies.
Denmark
In fourth place, Denmark scored an average of 8.3. The country received an honorable mention because of its Digitization Partnership, a group set up in 2021 to explore how Denmark can make the most of digital technology.
It included 28 experts from different sectors who came up with 46 recommendations for improving Denmark’s digital future. These recommendations were then used to shape the government’s digital strategies and policies.
Switzerland
In fifth place, scoring a solid 8.3, we have the beloved Switzerland. Switzerland’s position in the rank is thanks to The SIX Swiss Exchange, a major financial marketplace that operates in Switzerland and Spain. It manages the infrastructure for financial centers, facilitating the flow of information and money among market players.
Launched with a focus on digital securities, SIX is known for its innovative approach, including issuing the world’s first digital bond. Owned by around 120 financial institutions, SIX offers a range of services like exchange trading, financial information, and banking, all aimed at improving efficiency and quality. It also plays a key role in building a modern digital infrastructure, connecting global financial participants, and ensuring a stable, competitive environment.
In closing…
Switzerland is followed closely by Germany, Iceland, France, Norway, Luxembourg, and, finally, the United Kingdom, in 11th place. It comes as no surprise that these countries are featured at the top of the rank. They are high-income countries with strong education systems and high standards of living. On the other hand, countries like Angola and Ethiopia, which are low-income, are at the bottom of the list. This shows us the need to provide equal opportunities for everyone. Doing so will help speed up technological progress worldwide and help us build a better and more progressive future.
