AWS re:Invent 2025 - Hassle-free multicloud connectivity with AWS Interconnect - Multicloud (NET205)

AWS Interconnect: Hassle-free Multicloud Connectivity

Overview

• AWS and Google Cloud have partnered to launch a new service called AWS Interconnect, which provides a simple and resilient way to connect workloads across the two cloud platforms.
• The goal is to address the challenges customers face in building and managing multicloud network connectivity, including scalability, management overhead, reliability, and consistent global coverage.

Key Features

Simplified Connectivity

• AWS Interconnect provides a single attachment object between AWS and Google Cloud, abstracting away the underlying network infrastructure.
• Customers can create and activate the interconnect connection through the AWS or Google Cloud console, without needing to configure BGP, VLANs, or other low-level networking details.

Resilient Architecture

• Behind the scenes, AWS Interconnect provisions multiple redundant logical connections across physically diverse data centers and network devices.
• This built-in resiliency ensures high availability (up to 4 nines) without the customer having to manage complex redundancy configurations.
• The service also coordinates maintenance activities between AWS and Google to avoid downtime during planned outages.

Dynamic Scalability

• Interconnect connections can be scaled up or down on-demand through the API, allowing customers to adjust capacity as needed for seasonal workloads or growing requirements.
• The service leverages large pools of pre-provisioned network capacity that can be dynamically allocated to customers.

Encrypted Connectivity

• All data transmitted over AWS Interconnect is encrypted end-to-end using MACsec, ensuring secure communication between the two cloud platforms.

Open Specification

• The underlying API and protocol specification for AWS Interconnect has been open-sourced under the Apache 2.0 license.
• This allows other cloud providers to adopt the same standard, enabling customers to connect to multiple clouds using a consistent approach.

Technical Architecture

Single-Region, Single Interconnect

• In the simplest configuration, a customer connects a single VPC in AWS to a single VPC in Google Cloud using a single AWS Interconnect attachment.
• Routing is handled automatically, with VPC prefixes being advertised between the two cloud platforms via BGP.

Multi-Region, Single Interconnect

• Customers can also use a single AWS Interconnect to connect multiple VPCs across different AWS regions to Google Cloud.
• The AWS Direct Connect Gateway acts as a global routing hub, propagating routes between the regional VPCs and the Google Cloud router.

Multi-Region, Multi-Interconnect

• For more complex topologies, customers can create multiple AWS Interconnect attachments, each connecting a different set of AWS and Google Cloud regions.
• This allows for advanced traffic engineering, where the customer can influence route preference based on factors like region or prefix.
• The AWS Transit Gateway is used to centralize routing decisions and control the egress path for traffic destined to Google Cloud.

Business Impact

• AWS Interconnect simplifies the process of building secure, high-performance multicloud networks, reducing the operational overhead for customers.
• By providing a consistent, resilient, and scalable connectivity service, the offering enables customers to more easily leverage the capabilities of multiple cloud platforms.
• The open specification encourages broader industry adoption, allowing customers to apply a common approach when connecting to different cloud providers.
• Overall, the service helps customers unlock the benefits of multicloud architectures, such as workload portability, vendor diversification, and access to specialized cloud services.

Use Cases

• Hybrid cloud connectivity: Securely connect on-premises resources to workloads running in both AWS and Google Cloud.
• Multicloud application deployment: Enable applications to span multiple cloud platforms, leveraging the unique capabilities of each.
• Disaster recovery and business continuity: Replicate data and failover workloads between AWS and Google Cloud for improved resilience.
• Data sovereignty and compliance: Maintain data residency requirements by distributing workloads across multiple cloud regions.

Availability and Pricing

• AWS Interconnect is currently available in a public preview in 5 regions, with plans to expand globally.
• During the preview, customers can create 1 Gbps interconnect connections between AWS and Google Cloud at no charge.
• The service will be generally available in the future, with pricing and commercial terms to be announced at that time.