According to the latest report, ** percent of enterprise respondents indicated that they were adopting AWS for public cloud usage. AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud, also known as hyperscalers, are among the leading cloud computing platform providers worldwide.

Public cloud A public cloud refers to a computing service offered by a provider over the public internet whereby computing resources are made available to the customer. These resources may include storage capabilities, virtual machines, or applications. The customer only pays for resources actually consumed, such as bandwidth or CPU cycles. For organizations, this can lead to cost reduction versus having to buy and maintain on-premises hardware. Cloud computing benefits Cloud adoption is driven by several factors, including increased efficiency, quick deployment, and security. Because cloud providers offer customers to deploy their workloads from many locations globally, latency is reduced, which in turn enhances the customer experience. In addition, cloud-based services are more resilient, as the failure of a virtual machine does not necessarily mean that service availability is negatively impacted. To reap the most benefits, organizations are assessing which cloud models fit their case best and looking to pursue hybrid cloud strategies in the future, which includes the integration of both public and private clouds.

According to a survey conducted in South Korea in 2024, around ** percent of cloud users stated that they used cloud services for data and information management purposes. Another popular purpose, with about ** percent of respondents utilizing cloud services for this reason, was streaming of multimedia contents.

As of 2025, around ** percent of global enterprises currently used data warehouse service of public cloud providers. Additionally, approximately ** percent of enterprises experimented with Generative AI (GenAI).

As of 2025, around ** percent of businesses worldwide currently used data warehouse services of public cloud providers. Additionally, ** percent are experimenting with Generative AI, and ** percent are planning to implement mobile services along with Edge services.

According to a survey conducted in South Korea in 2024, around **** percent of respondents in their twenties stated that they used cloud services. Cloud usage increased across all age groups compared to the previous year.

Almost *** percent of companies in Japan with a capital size of five billion Japanese yen or more used cloud services in 2024. The cloud utilization rate tended to be lower among companies with a lower capital size.

According to a survey conducted in August 2024, **** percent of companies in Japan stated that they had already fully implemented cloud services. An additional **** percent of businesses answered that they had implemented cloud services in some offices or departments. Japan's cloud market The domestic market size of cloud services in Japan, encompassing infrastructure as a service (IaaS) and platform as a service (PaaS), was estimated at **** trillion yen in 2024. This figure is projected to grow strongly in the coming years. Notably, an industry comparison of the cloud service penetration rate shows that the share of cloud user companies is particularly high in industries such as telecommunications, finance and insurance, and real estate. The penetration rate also varies depending on the capital size of companies. Larger companies tend to embrace cloud services more readily than their smaller counterparts. Cloud-AI integration As generative AI gains traction, cloud vendors are swiftly integrating it into their services, enhancing offerings for user companies. This strategic move not only boosts the appeal of cloud services but also facilitates easier adoption through managed cloud services. Leading cloud providers offer platforms for developing foundation models, while incorporating conversational AI chatbots and other AI aids into their cloud services to effectively assist users. However, a survey in Japan revealed a certain hesitancy among respondents to place too much trust in artificial intelligence, despite acknowledging its utility and potential to alleviate labor shortages.

Telecommunications companies in Japan had a cloud utilization rate of ** percent in 2024, which was the highest utilization rate among industries. The telecommunications industry was followed by the finance and insurance industry, the real estate industry, and the construction industry.

In 2025, around ** percent of respondents are already running significant workloads on Amazon Web Services (AWS). Cloud computing as-a-service One of the most prevalent ways for companies to utilize cloud computing is to take advantage of the various “as-a-service” options available from many of the world’s largest tech companies. These services provide organizations with access to computing power, software, and other cloud-related functions without the need for in-house hardware. The software-as-a-service market alone is expected to grow well past the *** billion U.S. dollar mark by 2020, while the infrastructure-as-a-service market is expected to reach around *** billion itself in 2024. Companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, and Google have all been quick to incorporate cloud services into their offerings, providing small and mid-sized companies with the opportunity to utilize cloud computing resources without the need for extensive investments into hardware. Having only introduced the business segment in 2014, Microsoft’s intelligent cloud segment has grown rapidly, rivaling even the company’s long-established personal computing segment in terms of revenue generation.

In 2025, the survey underscores the continued dominance of data warehouses within cloud storage solutions. With ** percent of respondents utilizing them, it is evident that businesses value the extensive analytical capabilities and structured data organization that data warehouses provide. This trend signals a persistent need for centralized repositories for data storage and analytics to support strategic decision-making. DBaaS relational databases gain traction The survey reveals a rising preference for database-as-a-service (DBaaS) relational databases. This shift suggests that organizations are increasingly seeking the scalability, ease of maintenance, and reduced administrative overhead that DBaaS solutions provide. People are using DBaaS more because they want to make databases easier and spend more time on important things. Oracle leads this segment among the database management systems providers. PaaS adoption accelerates A key finding from the survey is the marked increase in the adoption of cloud providers' platform-as-a-service (PaaS) offerings. This trend speaks volumes about a broader transformation; companies are decisively moving towards cloud-based platforms for their data needs. PaaS provides convenient building blocks for application development and deployment, accelerating innovation and time-to-market.

In late 2023, ** percent of respondents from the Americas stated that they were heavy cloud service users. This is on par with the global average for cloud usage in the same year when the cloud market faced headwinds from the economic downturn.

According to a survey conducted in South Korea in 2024, around **** percent of male respondents and **** percent of female respondents stated that they used cloud services. The largest share of users that year was in their twenties.

As of 2024, ** percent of respondents indicated that they were already using Microsoft Azure Stack private cloud services, ranking top on the list. This is followed by VMware vSphere/vCenter and AWS Outposts with ** percent and ** percent respectively.

In 2021, Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) was used by nearly ** percent of companies using cloud computing services in South Korea. Around **** percent stated they used Platform as a Service (PaaS) cloud technology.

Cloud computing services in business

According to a nationwide survey of companies registered in South Korea, around a quarter of domestic enterprises stated they utilize cloud computing services in their work. Usage rates varied across different industries, ranging from as low as around ** percent to more than ** percent, depending on the business. Saving digital documents and accounting software were the leading cloud functions used by companies.

Private use of cloud services

Cloud services are a familiar product to consumers as well. Household survey responses showed a similar trend to the company survey, with data management being the leading purpose of using cloud services for the general public. Naver Cloud was the most commonly used cloud service in South Korea, with users able to store files online and automatically back up photos and videos from their smartphones via the service.

In 2024, around ** percent of responding companies stated that they already used cloud services (private or public cloud). This was a significant increase compared to earlier years. Cloud computing is essential to IT around the world.

In 2021, ** percent of respondents stated that they are using Microsoft Azure for their cloud services. Amazon Web Services (AWS) was on top of the list until 2020, when Microsoft took the place. Additionally, the percentage of respondents not using any form of cloud rose to ***** percent in 2022 from **** percent in 2021. Microsoft Azure, AWS and Google Cloud are the key players Among the reasons for the popularity of Microsoft Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud is their global cloud infrastructure. These vendors are a prominent choice for organizations as they provide cloud on-ramp services in data centers around the world while ensuring high security standards and achieving great levels of reliability. Further, private cloud takes the third place, meaning that organizations use a cloud computing environment that is dedicated entirely to that organization alone. What are the vendors’ key strengths? One of AWS’ key strengths is its wide variety of services, including storage, analytics, networking, developer tools, security, and enterprise applications, among others. This broad product portfolio makes AWS a great choice for customers seeking to boost developer functionality. Microsoft Azure, on the other hand, is a popular choice due to its combination of Azure, Teams, and Office ***, making it a good fit with all enterprise computing needs in a single place. Finally, Google Cloud’s hallmark is its expertise around open-source technologies, such as container technology, which makes Google’s offering compelling to customers who prioritize digital transformation. Importantly, these vendors continuously expand their repertoire of technologies and partners to offer customers a wide range of solutions for different use cases.

The domestic cloud services market in Japan, which in this case consists of infrastructure as a service (IaaS) and platform as a service (PaaS), was estimated at **** trillion Japanese yen in 2024. Based on the assumption that more and more companies will migrate mission-critical systems to cloud environments and that the growing adoption of generative artificial intelligence (AI) will require further computational resources, it was expected that the market would reach a size of **** trillion yen by 2028. Utilization of cloud services in Japan A survey among Japanese companies showed that a majority of business enterprises were already using cloud computing to varying degrees. The same survey also revealed that cloud services were utilized for a variety of different purposes, with file storage and data sharing topping the ranking of the most popular types of cloud computing services. A breakdown of the utilization rate of cloud services by capital size indicated that utilization was much more common among larger companies than among smaller ones. Japan’s digital strategy The Japanese IT industry has come more and more into focus as digitization has increasingly impacted the economy and people’s private lives in recent years. While Japan is known for its advanced technology, it has also been said to exhibit sluggish behavior regarding digital transformation processes. Throughout the 2010s, the government introduced a number of initiatives which aimed at improving Japan’s position in the digital age. In 2016, the Council for Science, Technology and Innovation (CSTI), which is part of the Cabinet Office, introduced the concept of “Society 5.0” in its Fifth Science and Technology Basic Plan, which delineated a society in which cyberspace and the physical world are increasingly connected with each other. The realization of Society 5.0 and the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games led to increased efforts to improve Japan’s cyber security strategy and to prevent cyber crimes. For all these projects, solutions offered by the IT industry were necessary, providing ample market opportunities for companies engaged in the IT business.

In 2021, ** percent of enterprises indicate using cloud hosting/infrastructure services such as AWS EC2 or Azure VMs. Enterprises are also using platform as a service (PaaS) solutions including Heroku or Azure App Service to a great extent. Notably, traditional small and midsize businesses use less cloud services in general and therefore have less complex cloud setups.

Cloud computing has become an integral part of modern business operations, with public cloud services leading the way. A 2024 survey reveals that ** percent of businesses worldwide prefer using public cloud services, highlighting the widespread adoption of this cost-effective model. The pay-as-you-go approach allows companies to scale resources as needed, making it an attractive option for organizations of all sizes. Market leaders and revenue growth The cloud computing market is dominated by a few key players, with Amazon Web Services (AWS) maintaining a strong lead. In 2023, AWS held a ** percent market share in the global infrastructure as a service (IaaS) and platform as a service (PaaS) sectors. Microsoft Azure, Alibaba Cloud, and Google Cloud Platform follow, with the four hyperscalers expected to generate a combined revenue of ***** billion U.S. dollars. These companies leverage their global scale, innovative technology, and deep expertise to offer a wide range of services beyond basic cloud computing resources. Regional market forecasts The data center market, closely tied to cloud computing, is poised for significant growth across all regions by 2029. The United States is projected to lead with an estimated revenue of ****** billion U.S. dollars, far outpacing other markets such as the United Kingdom, which is forecast to reach ***** billion U.S. dollars. This substantial difference underscores the dominance of the U.S. market in the global cloud computing landscape and highlights the potential for continued expansion in other regions.

The use of internet-based storage services, also known as the cloud, to store data has risen steadily in Great Britain since 2015. In 2015, ** percent of people between the ages of ** to ** living in Great Britain used cloud services to store data, a figure that rose to ** percent by 2020.