Amazon Web Services (AWS), the largest cloud service provider in the world, experienced a significant outage on Monday morning. This disruption impacted numerous companies and popular websites, including the AI startup Perplexity, cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, and trading app Robinhood.

The outage was traced to a problem with a regional gateway located on the U.S. East Coast. AWS reported on its health dashboard that it is pursuing multiple recovery paths to address the issue. User complaints surged shortly after 7:30 a.m. London time, with thousands of reports logged on Downdetector.

AWS is a critical infrastructure provider, accounting for about one-third of the global cloud market. As a result, any service disruption can have widespread effects across the internet. Both Coinbase and Robinhood confirmed that their services were affected by the AWS outage. Perplexity's CEO, Aravind Srinivas, stated, "Perplexity is down right now. The root cause is an AWS issue. We're working on resolving it."

In addition to financial platforms, several gaming sites, including Fortnite, Roblox, and Clash of Clans, reported increased complaints related to the outage. Corporate messaging service Slack also experienced disruptions. Amazon's own services, such as Alexa and the Ring home security system, faced issues as well.

AWS acknowledged the increased error rates and latency for multiple services in the U.S. East region. The company did not provide further comments when contacted for additional information.

The outage highlights the reliance of many businesses and services on AWS's cloud infrastructure. As the situation develops, AWS is working to restore normal operations for affected users and services.