Q brings the power of GenAI to data analysis. Significantly, it can make use of data from both AWS as well as customer-supplied data. And it does this in a safe and secure manner. Q has a Feature Development Tool that helps you organize the multiple steps involved in adding a feature to an application. It creates a plan for you, including ticketing, code development, and testing. It currently integrates with CodeCatalyst, and IDE integration is coming soon. Q also integrates with QuickSight and AWS Connect.
Zero-ETL is a concept that AWS started introducing last year, and as expected, they have expanded it to four new data sources. Reducing the effort involved in using your company’s data makes that data more actionable and cost-effective.
Summary
AWS is years and generations ahead of the other public cloud providers. AWS is on generation 3, 4, or 5 of resources that other providers have yet to create a first generation. They continue to emphasize cost reduction and security while lowering the bar for development, thus increasing companies' ROI for new and existing products.
We expected an emphasis on GenAI, and there certainly was quite a bit of emphasis there, but there were many other areas where AWS created significant advancements.
AWS showed the interactions between compute and storage enhancements. Better and faster storage options have implications for the compute side systems. While all of the services are getting faster and (generally) less expensive, they continue to get enhanced security. AWS continued to enhance Zero-ETL by adding four new data sources. This is another example of simplifying the process of making data actionable.
GenAI, of course, pervaded a wide range of services, ranging from the obvious cases to specialized cases like using GenAI to create CloudWatch Log queries. Q is a large new service or actually a set of services. The ability to ask natural language questions about AWS documentation is significant because, similar to CodeWhisperer, this allows a developer to stay focused on their IDE or console. Avoiding a costly context switch to performing a Google or StackOverflow query can greatly encourage developer “flow” and, thus productivity.
Q also has a code migration capability. AWS talked about a small team migrating 1000 Java applications to a new version of Java in just two days. This is remarkable, and avoiding version lag is a Good Thing. Coming soon Q will gain the ability to automatically migrate Windows code to Linux code. This will enable more applications to avoid the high cost of Windows licenses.
AWS also talked about public Give Back via Project Kuiper, which provides high-speed satellite networking in underserved areas, as well as free Cloud Training to democratize the cloud.
Conclusion
AWS is, of course, a business, but they continue to put the customer first. Faster everything, more secure everything, leveraging their data with your data. As they add new services, they continue to expand and enhance the existing ones. They have found a way to create win-win scenarios. The continued evolution of Graviton is a great example of this. Their innovation in silicon is a win for customers as it lets them work faster. They save money, and because of the extra usage this generates, AWS makes more money. And since Gravition is energy efficient, the Earth wins.
This dedication to winning together creates an environment where AWS and customers can learn from each other. This creates the kind of synergy that moves us all forward and makes working with AWS a very safe choice.
Brian Tarbox
Jeremy Bendat
