Key facts
- Amazon Web Services customers received erroneous bills, with some estimates reaching as high as $1.5tn.
- The glitch was caused by an issue with unit pricing in the estimated billing computation subsystem.
- Erroneous invoices caused significant alarm and distress among users globally.
- AWS has apologized and is working to recompute the affected billing data, expecting resolution in several hours.
Customers of Amazon Web Services (AWS) were alarmed by erroneous monthly bills reaching as high as $1.5tn, a significant discrepancy from their usual subscription costs. The global glitch, which began displaying at 3:38 am UK time on Friday, caused panic and confusion among millions of users, ranging from individuals and small charities to major businesses.
Dan Harvey, head of marketing at the UK charity Learning Through Landscapes, reported receiving a bill for $7.8bn for an app that normally costs less than a pound per month. Similarly, a student in Delhi, Sachin, who usually pays $1.28 monthly, was billed $10.9bn. Historian Adreas Zuvich, whose website typically incurs $15 monthly charges, was shocked by a $245bn invoice. Another customer expressed terror after being presented with a $256bn bill.
AWS identified the issue as stemming from a problem with unit pricing within its estimated billing computation subsystem. The company shut down the bill estimation system and apologized for the confusion and concern. In an update, AWS stated that full resolution was expected to take multiple hours as they recompute the estimated billing data. The incident highlights the critical reliance on cloud services and the potential for widespread disruption caused by technical failures.