Everything AWS is simply AWS-OME!
“No exaggeration. Only innovation.” Four words encapsulate the awe-inspiring AWS re:Invent event.
From December 2 – 6, 2024, the resort city of Las Vegas became the hub of innovation – inventing cloud as the future to re:invent customer success.
Of course, Artificial Intelligence was the BIGGEST highlight – particularly on foundation models (NOVA), developers (Q) and purpose-built AI (Trainium) chips, but the overarching message was the greatest takeaway – “The future is about strategic and phased cloud adoption, not just working with a single AI piece or a legacy tool.”
As much as this sums up everything, the heart of AWS’ event was their mission to reinvent and reimagine customer innovation. But there was more than just technology. The event was a front row seat for leaders to RE:THINK their business strategy and embrace advancements. Everyone who attended left the room with food for thought in terms of what they could do differently. Speaking technically, here is what was the main highlight of the event:
- Accelerated cloud adoption fueled by generative AI: It was highlighted in the keynote sessions that revenue growth will depend on the success of cloud tech adoption and how soon workloads can be moved to cloud. Discussions revolved around how Generative AI has emerged as the ultimate catalyst in this shift and its role in data as well as cloud apps management.
- Core infrastructure regaining momentum: Well, you never really leave your root/core. And while AWS spotlighted AI innovations in the whole event, they stuck to core infrastructure transformation like compute, storage, and databases and the new high-performance silicon chips such as Trainium 2. The aim is to meet the foundation customer requirements along with offering cutting-edge, AI-powered and futuristic offerings, including data-intensive applications and distributed computing environments.
- The future of application development: At AWS reinvent, we saw how applications of 2025 and beyond will evolve into dynamic, AI-powered tools capable of learning, adapting and delivering value in real-time. We saw how AI’s predictive capabilities will truly RE:INVENT the future.
- Legacy to cloud transition support: For customers grappling with modernizing legacy systems, AWS and its partners showcased immense support during the event. They showcased their transition roadmap and stressed the importance of data-secure migration. Moving to the cloud and soaring was made easy regardless of where the customers are on their cloud journey.
- Partner offerings – As we strolled through the varied partner booths at the event, one thing was sure – the kind of unique product offerings partners showcased, it was a depiction of the support AWS extends to their partner network. In fact, it underscores AWS’ vision to ‘enable’ their partners to collaboratively create and not just sell. Not just at the respective booths, but partners also were seen taking center stage. Several partners shared their latest collaborations, powered by AWS. We saw more opportunities being created for partners which was an optimistic vision witnessed first-hand!
Big Announcements and Mic Drop Launches at AWS re:Invent 2024
#1 – SAP + AWS shake hands to shape the AI world: Amazon Web Services (AWS) launched Amazon Nova, their latest and most capable generative AI model family, supported by SAP through their generative AI hub. What this means for SAP customers and partners is immediate accessibility to Nova family of large language models through generative AI hub in SAP AI Core, adding to existing access to Anthropic and Titan models from AWS Bedrock.
It will empower developers to choose the perfect LLM tailored to their unique use case, while offering our customers enhanced flexibility to securely create and expand AI applications, seamlessly integrated into their SAP ecosystem and data.
#2 – Matt Garman, CEO, AWS: Straight from the heart, Matt’s session was about how startups can use tech to disrupt their processes and create a differentiator. He announced that AWS will offer $1 BN to global startups and invest in their success. For enterprises, he shared the value of cloud for every industry. Technically, he explored how AWS is reinventing foundational building blocks as well as developing brand-new experiences, all to empower customers and partners with what they need to build a better future. The newest capabilities were showcased:
- Amazon EC2 Trn2 Instances
- Amazon EC2 Trn2 UltraServers
- AWS Trainium 3
- Amazon S3 Tables
- Amazon S3 Metadata
- Amazon Aurora DSQL
- Amazon Bedrock Model Distillation
- Amazon Bedrock Guardrails now supports Automated Reasoning checks
- Amazon Bedrock now supports multi-agent collaboration
- Amazon Nova
- New Amazon Q Developer agent capabilities include unit tests, generating documentation, and code reviews
- Amazon Q Developer Transformation for .NET applications
- Amazon Q Developer Transformation for VMware workloads
- Amazon Q Developer Transformation for mainframe
- Amazon Q index
- Amazon SageMaker Lakehouse
Garman’s message in AWS re:Invent encapsulated the ethos and mission statement of the company. Watch complete keynote: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LY7m5LQliAo
#3 – Andy Jassy, President and CEO, Amazon: In a very insightful session, Andy spoke about Aurora D. SQL, a breakthrough in databases offering multi-region, low-latency, high-availability, and SQL compatibility, designed to eliminate compromises in distributed databases. He introduced Trainium 2 chips, boasting 30-40% better price performance than current GPU instances, with ultra-servers enabling massive compute power to train sophisticated foundation models like Anthropic’s next-generation AI. Lastly, he announced Amazon Nova models, AWS’s own frontier generative AI models, which are highly cost-effective, fast, and customizable, offering seamless integration with proprietary systems for dynamic AI applications, including image and video generation with Nova Canvas and Nova Reel. Watch his keynote: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/andy-jassy-8b1615_awsreinvent-activity-7269884640734146561-j9fH?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop
#4 – Dr. Ruba Borno, VP, Global Specialists and Partners, AWS: Dr. Borno unveiled groundbreaking advancements in cloud security and strengthened partner collaborations during her keynote at re:Invent.
She introduced four new security specializations, including the Security AI category, designed to help customers connect with partners who excel in safeguarding AI applications and mitigating cyber threats. Additionally, Borno announced the general availability of Buy with AWS, a feature that allows partners to seamlessly embed AWS Marketplace into their websites, enabling customers to explore solutions, request pricing, and make purchases directly using their AWS accounts.
Watch full session: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQtJ-VixZ9Q
#5 Dr. Swami Sivasubramanian VP, AI and Data, AWS: Swami Sivasubramanian’s AWS re:Invent keynote delivered a wave of groundbreaking announcements on two accounts: one, obviously, for generative AI and the other for analytics applications. He highlighted SageMaker HyperPod, new cutting-edge models like Luma and Luma Ray, and enhanced Amazon Bedrock capabilities such as GraphRAG-enabled Knowledge Bases. These advancements are set to revolutionize how we integrate structured and unstructured data, driving the future of AI-powered applications and data products.
Watch full session: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGzYTg5FIA4
But wait, it was all not black and white…
AWS Re:Invent Was Not Just About Jaw-dropping (And, Technical) Keynotes or Speeches
Yes, AWS re:Invent was more like an epic party of technology buffs. There were tech games, entertainment, a silent disco, food and drinks. A hub for formal and informal conversations, catch-up and warm hugs. Some old friendships revived; some new connections built!
Wrapping AWS Re:Invent 2024..
The event surely was about hearing real stories from customers and AWS leaders, witnessing new product launches, watching demos, and getting behind-the-scenes insights during headline-making keynotes. Our key takeaway and the overarching theme remained that AWS is redefining the integration of generative AI, embedding it as a seamless and foundational component of modern application development. This approach transforms AI from a standalone entity into an inherent feature woven into the data workflows, infrastructure, and tools that developers already use. By simplifying AI adoption and treating inference as a core building block, AWS empowers businesses to innovate effortlessly and scale efficiently. The future, as AWS envisions it, lies in the strategic and cohesive use of AI across systems, unlocking unparalleled automation and agility while making advanced AI capabilities accessible to startups and enterprises alike.
What does this mean for the midmarket companies?
Midmarket businesses can become AI-ready with AWS by leveraging its scalable cloud infrastructure and AI/ML services. Tools like Amazon SageMaker simplify building, training, and deploying machine learning models, while AWS Data Lakes and Analytics enable seamless data preparation and management. With pre-trained AI services such as Amazon Rekognition and Amazon Comprehend, businesses can quickly integrate AI capabilities into their operations. AWS’s cost-effective, pay-as-you-go model ensures midmarket companies can scale AI initiatives without significant upfront investment.
Are you ready?
AWS Is Set to Leave Customers in AWE: 2025 AW-AI-tS!
Speaking of the themes that will shape Amazon Web Services (AWS)’ strategy for the coming years, the event was a ‘future kaleidoscope.’
Startups, enterprises and developers are looking forward to integrating clouds with agent workflows and embedding genAI in 2025.
AWAIT the Future with AI and AWesome Solutions!
Advanced Wonders, Artificial Intelligence, and Technological Synergy
As AWS partners, Uneecops is excited to see what they have in store for our customers and the partner network as a whole. We await the breakthroughs AWS + AI are going to usher in the tech ecosystem. As for our plans in 2025, together with AWS and as a platinum SAP partner in India, we aim to create a strong data foundation to create differentiated solutions for our cloud customers: ones that are highly data-centric, prioritize security and truly build L.I.V.E. enterprises.
Let us reinvent 2025 with AWS + AI!
