In 2016, Amazon introduced the Snowmobile, an 18-wheeler truck that would help customers transfer data to Amazon Web Services rapidly. However, less than eight years later, AWS has stopped offering this service. The webpage dedicated to AWS’ Snow family products now redirects users to other data transport services, such as the Snowball Edge and Snowcone. AWS has introduced more cost-effective options for moving data, as Snowmobile required customers to manage various logistical challenges, such as power, cooling, networking, parking, and security.
Initially priced at $0.005 per gigabyte per month, Snowmobile offered a fast and efficient way for companies to transfer large amounts of data to AWS. For a company with 100 petabytes of data, the cost of a transfer job would be around $500,000 per month. However, as part of cost-cutting measures implemented by CEO Andy Jassy, Amazon has decided to discontinue Snowmobile. This decision comes as Amazon faces challenges with lackluster sales growth and has been reducing its workforce and discontinuing projects across various units.
The introduction of Snowmobile at Amazon’s Reinvent conference in 2016 was a memorable moment, with Jassy showcasing the truck’s groundbreaking capabilities on stage in front of a large audience. With its capacity of 100 petabytes on hard disk drives, Snowmobile was designed to significantly speed up the data transfer process to the cloud. However, despite the initial hype surrounding the product, it failed to gain widespread adoption and has now been discontinued.
While AWS is still a dominant player in the cloud infrastructure market, generating billions in revenue annually, the company has shifted its focus to more efficient and cost-effective data transfer solutions. Snowball Edge devices, which are smaller and lighter than Snowmobile, offer clients a more convenient option for transferring data to AWS. Additionally, the AWS DataSync service, introduced in 2018, provides customers with an online data transfer solution that is generally more economical than using physical transfer methods like Snowmobile.
Despite AWS’ decision to retire Snowmobile, the company remains committed to providing innovative solutions for cloud data storage and transfer. While Snowmobile had its moment in the spotlight as a groundbreaking product, AWS has continued to evolve its offerings to meet the changing needs and preferences of its customers. With a focus on efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and ease of use, AWS is dedicated to helping businesses seamlessly migrate and manage their data in the cloud using a variety of advanced tools and services.
