# Cloud Regions in the United Kingdom: AWS, Google Cloud and Azure

> AWS, Google Cloud and Azure regions in the UK, London and Cardiff, what UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 mean for hosting, and scheduling on UK time.

Source: https://zop.dev/cloud-cost-optimization/united-kingdom
Published: 2026-07-01 · Updated: 2026-09-24 · Author: avinash-gaurav · Tags: geo, country, united-kingdom

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Regions, time zones and data protection law for cloud teams in United Kingdom.

All three providers run regions in the UK: AWS eu-west-2 and Google Cloud europe-west2 in London, and Azure uksouth in London with ukwest in Cardiff.

## Cloud regions in United Kingdom

| Provider | Region | Location |
|---|---|---|
| AWS | `eu-west-2` | London |
| Google Cloud | `europe-west2` | London |
| Azure | `uksouth` | London |
| Azure | `ukwest` | Cardiff |

Some UK teams on AWS use both eu-west-2 (London) and eu-west-1 (Ireland). When an account spans two regions, check both for non-production copies that nobody uses.

## Scheduling on local time

Europe/London is one hour behind most of the EU for most of the year, and the UK and EU change clocks on the same dates. A team split between London and Berlin can share a schedule only if one office accepts an hour's mismatch, so separate schedules per office are usually cleaner.

Time zones: `Europe/London`. Currency: GBP.

## Data protection law

Since Brexit the UK has its own version of the GDPR (UK GDPR), alongside the Data Protection Act 2018. The regions above are the options for keeping data in the UK.

Source: [UK GDPR + Data Protection Act 2018](https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/data-protection-principles/a-guide-to-the-data-protection-principles/).

## Nearby countries

<a href="https://zop.dev/cloud-cost-optimization/ireland">Ireland</a>, <a href="https://zop.dev/cloud-cost-optimization/france">France</a>, <a href="https://zop.dev/cloud-cost-optimization/netherlands">Netherlands</a>. For every country, see <a href="https://zop.dev/cloud-cost-optimization">cloud regions by country</a>.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is there more than one Azure region in the UK?

Yes. uksouth is in London and ukwest is in Cardiff.

### Does UK data have to stay in the UK?

UK GDPR regulates transfers rather than banning them, but many contracts require UK hosting. Check your own obligations with counsel.