Project Nimbus is a $1.2 billion cloud computing contract awarded by the Israeli government in 2021 to Google (Alphabet Inc.) and Amazon Web Services (AWS). The initiative aims to provide secure, all-encompassing cloud infrastructure, artificial intellige

Project Nimbus is a $1.2 billion cloud computing contract awarded by the Israeli government in 2021 to Google (Alphabet Inc.) and Amazon Web Services (AWS). The initiative aims to provide secure, all-encompassing cloud infrastructure, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and related technologies to Israeli government ministries, the defense establishment (including the Israel Defense Forces, or IDF), and other public sector entities. It includes the establishment of local data centers in Israel to ensure data sovereignty and compliance with strict security guidelines, keeping sensitive information within the country's borders.

### Key Objectives and Phases
The project is structured in four phases:
1. **Infrastructure Buildout**: Purchasing and constructing cloud infrastructure.
2. **Policy Development**: Creating government policies for migrating operations to the cloud.
3. **Migration**: Transferring existing operations to the cloud platform.
4. **Optimization**: Implementing and refining cloud operations for efficiency.

It supports advanced capabilities like facial recognition, object tracking, sentiment analysis, and automated data processing, which have raised concerns about potential military applications.

### Controversies and Protests
Project Nimbus has faced significant backlash, particularly from employees at Google and Amazon, as well as human rights advocates. Critics argue that the technologies could enable surveillance, AI-driven targeting in conflict zones (such as Gaza and the West Bank), and human rights violations, including those linked to Israel's military actions. Internal Google documents from before the contract's signing revealed company concerns about reputational risks, inability to monitor usage, and potential links to abuses, yet the deal proceeded under an "adjusted" terms of service that limits Google's oversight. Over 70% of Google's revenue from the project reportedly comes from Israel's Ministry of Defense.

Protests have included:
- Employee petitions (e.g., 1,700 Amazon workers in 2023 urging withdrawal).
- Sit-ins at Google offices in New York and Sunnyvale in April 2024.
- Firings and suspensions, such as a Google engineer in March 2024 for protesting at a company event and an Amazon engineer in September 2025 for emailing leadership.

Groups like No Tech for Apartheid and the Electronic Frontier Foundation have called for transparency and contract termination, citing violations of the companies' own AI ethics principles (e.g., against weapons or surveillance tools). Israeli officials, however, have praised the project for enhancing cyber defenses and military retaliation capabilities, such as against Hamas.

As of September 2025, the contract remains active, with ongoing debates about its role in Israel's tech infrastructure versus ethical implications.