Amazon models in Australia
Amazon develops the Nova family of foundation models for Amazon Bedrock. Nova covers text and multimodal understanding, image generation (Nova Canvas), video generation (Nova Reel) and speech (Nova Sonic), and Amazon also offers Titan embedding models for search and retrieval-augmented generation.
Nova models are available only through AWS, mainly Amazon Bedrock, so they integrate closely with AWS identity and access management, logging, guardrails, knowledge bases and agents. Amazon positions them as cost-efficient options for high-volume workloads such as classification, extraction and summarisation.
Availability in Australia differs by Nova generation and model. Some first-generation models run in-region in Sydney, while newer models rely on global routing, so check each Bedrock model card before assuming a particular Nova model runs in Sydney or Melbourne.
Last reviewed October 2026
Strengths
- +Native to Amazon Bedrock, with AWS security, logging and guardrails
- +First-generation Nova text models and Titan embeddings run in-region in Sydney
- +Cost-efficient options for high-volume summarisation, extraction and classification
- +Covers text, image, video and speech within one AWS account
Limitations
- –Available only on AWS, which creates platform dependence
- –The newer Nova generation is reachable from Australia only through global cross-region inference
- –Nova's creative and speech models are not listed in Australian regions
- –Nova's APAC cross-region profile can route requests outside Australia
Ways to access these models
Amazon Bedrock
Nova and Titan models via in-region, geographic or global inference.
Amazon Nova apps and agents
Nova models inside AWS services and Amazon's own agent tools.
Third-party gateways
Some Nova models are also listed by model routers such as OpenRouter.
Keeping data in Australia
Bedrock's model cards list the first-generation Nova Micro, Nova Lite and Nova Pro models, plus Titan text and multimodal embeddings, as available in-Region in Sydney (ap-southeast-2), which keeps processing in that region. These Nova models also offer an APAC geographic profile, which can route to other Asia Pacific countries, so use the plain in-region model ID rather than the apac profile if data must stay onshore. The newer Nova generation is listed for Sydney and Melbourne only through global cross-region inference, which may process requests in any supported commercial AWS region. Nova Canvas, Nova Reel and Nova Sonic are not listed in Australian regions. Confirm by checking the Regional availability table on each Bedrock model card and restricting allowed regions with service control policies.
For workloads where data must stay onshore end to end, see private AI hosted in Australia.
Best for
- →AWS-native applications that need an in-region model in Sydney
- →High-volume, cost-sensitive text processing
- →Retrieval systems using Titan embeddings with Bedrock knowledge bases
Tools built on Amazon models
OpenRouter
Free plan + paidDev Infrastructure
A unified API that gives developers access to hundreds of AI models from many providers through one key and an OpenAI-compatible interface. It handles routing, fallbacks when a provider fails, usage tracking and consolidated billing, and lets teams filter providers by data policy, price or speed.
Best for: Developers comparing models before committing to a provider
OpenRouter review →
Frequently asked questions
Do Amazon Nova models run in Australia?
Some do. The first-generation Nova Micro, Lite and Pro models are listed as in-region in Sydney on Amazon Bedrock. The newer Nova generation is available to Australian regions only through global cross-region inference, which can process requests offshore.
What is the difference between in-region and APAC inference on Bedrock?
In-region inference processes requests in the region you call. An APAC geographic profile spreads requests across several Asia Pacific regions, which can include countries outside Australia. For onshore processing, use in-region model IDs or, where offered, Australian (au.) profiles.
Can I self-host Amazon Nova?
No. Nova models are closed and available only through AWS. Amazon offers customisation options through Bedrock, but the model weights are not released for self-hosting.
When should I choose Nova over Claude on Bedrock?
Nova suits high-volume, simpler tasks where cost and latency matter, such as classification, extraction and short summaries. Claude is usually stronger for complex reasoning, coding and long documents. Many teams route simple tasks to Nova and harder ones to Claude within the same Bedrock account.
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