First, the headline. On April 28, 2026, AWS unveiled AWS Interconnect Multicloud. This is a managed private link between AWS and other clouds. So for multicloud teams, this is huge. Above all, it kills the brittle VPN tunnels that drain time and money.
Next, the why. If you have ever stitched a tunnel between AWS and Azure, you know the pain. Therefore, this announcement matters. Below, you will see what shipped, how it differs from Direct Connect, and where it fits.
Key Takeaways
- Managed multicloud private link — AWS Interconnect Multicloud links a VPC to other clouds privately. Furthermore, it skips the public internet.
- No more brittle tunnels — As a result, you can drop IPsec site-to-site setups.
- Native AWS networking — In addition, it works with Transit Gateway and Route 53 Resolver.
- Built for AI and data — Moreover, it handles the heavy east-west traffic AI inference needs.
- Limited preview — However, only select regions and partner clouds are live at launch.
Table of Contents
- What Is AWS Interconnect Multicloud?
- Why AWS Built It
- AWS Interconnect Multicloud Features
- How It Works
- Pricing and Availability
- Use Cases
- vs Direct Connect and Transit Gateway
What Is AWS Interconnect Multicloud?
First and foremost, AWS Interconnect Multicloud is a managed private pipe. So it links a VPC in AWS to a VPC in another cloud. As a result, you skip VPNs, SD-WAN overlays, and self-managed colocation.
According to the AWS announcement, this fills a long-asked gap. Until now, multicloud links lived outside AWS. As a result, teams ran extra tools and extra audits.
Sound familiar? In contrast, AWS Interconnect Multicloud now ships as a first-class AWS service. Therefore, the operational burden shrinks fast.
Why AWS Built AWS Interconnect Multicloud
For a long time, AWS networking was AWS-first. So Direct Connect linked your data center to AWS. Furthermore, Transit Gateway tied VPCs together. However, multicloud was someone else is problem.
That is changing. According to DevOps.com, 80 percent of software organizations will adopt internal developer platforms by year-end 2026. Moreover, many of those platforms span clouds. As a result, AI inference often spans clouds too.
In my experience with multicloud teams, a self-managed VPN mesh eats 20 percent of network time. So replacing it with a managed service pays back fast.
For more on VPC choices that drive these calls, see our AWS VPC security guide.
AWS Interconnect Multicloud Features
The AWS Interconnect Multicloud feature set rests on three ideas — privacy, throughput, and AWS-native fit.
So at launch, the service ships with these capabilities:
- Private routing — In addition, traffic skips the public internet.
- Dynamic BGP routing — Furthermore, AWS handles the AWS-side BGP for you.
- Transit Gateway integration — As a result, you can fan out to many VPCs.
- Encryption by default — Moreover, AWS KMS keys protect every payload.
- CloudWatch monitoring — Therefore, health and throughput show in your existing dashboards.
The Transit Gateway tie is the big win. Have you ever routed Azure traffic through a self-managed concentrator? In contrast, AWS Interconnect Multicloud skips that step.
How AWS Interconnect Multicloud Works
So the service ends a private link at the edge of two VPCs. As a result, traffic stays inside provider networks at all times.
Here is the simple flow:
- First, open the AWS console. Then pick the partner cloud and target VPC.
- Next, approve the link on the partner cloud side.
- Then, set up BGP peering. Routes will flow between the clouds.
- After that, attach to Transit Gateway if you need to fan out.
- Finally, validate via CloudWatch. Send test traffic and check the latency.
The setup takes minutes. In contrast, an IPsec VPN can take a sprint to harden.
AWS Interconnect Multicloud Pricing and Availability
So AWS Interconnect Multicloud is in limited preview. As a result, only select AWS regions and partner clouds are live. Moreover, AWS has not yet set a GA date.
Pricing follows the AWS networking pattern. Therefore, expect port-hour fees plus data-out charges. However, exact rates were not in the launch note.
If your team has annual AWS commits, plan for these charges to count toward them. So spend will be visible in Cost Explorer. For more cost tips, see our cloud cost optimization guide.
AWS Interconnect Multicloud Use Cases
The best use cases are workloads that already span clouds. Here are the strongest scenarios:
- AI inference across GPU regions — As a result, you skip the latency of an IPsec tunnel.
- Cross-cloud data lakes — Furthermore, link AWS S3 to BigQuery without internet hops.
- Disaster recovery — In addition, replicate to a second cloud privately.
- SaaS in many clouds — Moreover, host instances in AWS, Azure, and GCP with one private backbone.
- Data residency — Therefore, keep some loads in a partner cloud while tying back to AWS.
For event-driven glue, see our AWS Lambda serverless guide.
AWS Interconnect Multicloud vs Direct Connect and Transit Gateway
So AWS Interconnect Multicloud sits next to Direct Connect and Transit Gateway, not on top. As a result, each tool solves a different problem.
The split looks like this:
- Direct Connect — your data center to AWS over a private fiber link.
- Transit Gateway — the hub that ties many VPCs and on-prem networks inside AWS.
- AWS Interconnect Multicloud — In contrast, AWS to another cloud over a managed private link.
Therefore, you can run all three together. For example, data center to AWS via Direct Connect, then through Transit Gateway, then out to Azure via Interconnect Multicloud. As a result, AWS handles each leg.
What would you do? Most teams I have worked with start with disaster recovery. Then they expand to AI inference once east-west cost shows up.
Summary
So AWS Interconnect Multicloud is the cleanest cross-cloud link AWS has shipped. Therefore, it replaces brittle VPN tunnels for AI, data, and DR workloads. Furthermore, it ties into Transit Gateway, supports BGP, and encrypts traffic by default. The service is in limited preview at launch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is AWS Interconnect Multicloud generally available?
No. So it is in limited preview as of April 2026. As a result, only select regions and partner clouds are live.
Which clouds does AWS Interconnect Multicloud support?
At launch, AWS supports Azure, Google Cloud, and Oracle Cloud. However, the list may grow during the preview.
How is AWS Interconnect Multicloud different from Site-to-Site VPN?
Site-to-Site VPN runs over the public internet via IPsec. In contrast, AWS Interconnect Multicloud uses AWS-managed private infrastructure. As a result, it offers BGP, lower latency, and Transit Gateway integration.
Can AWS Interconnect Multicloud attach to my Transit Gateway?
Yes. So you can fan out across all VPCs and on-prem networks already attached. Furthermore, this is the recommended setup for non-trivial topologies.
Does AWS Interconnect Multicloud encrypt traffic?
Yes. Moreover, AWS KMS protects payloads by default. Therefore, you can use customer-managed KMS keys when compliance needs them.
Editorial Disclosure: This article was researched and drafted with AI assistance. Then it was reviewed, fact-checked, and edited by Bhanu Prakash.
About the Author
Bhanu Prakash is a cybersecurity and cloud computing professional. Furthermore, he has hands-on experience in AWS networking and Transit Gateway design. He shares practical guides at ElevateWithB.
What to Read Next: Pair this with our AWS VPC security best practices guide.
