AWS re:Invent 2024 has just taken place, attracting the who’s who of cloud computing experts, builders, clients, partners, and technology fans.
The 13th annual event was a major success, enticing thousands of excited guests to the one and only Las Vegas from December 2–6, 2024. With a solid lineup of 5 keynotes and 18 innovation talks, the preponderance of this event’s focus was on generative AI, cloud infrastructure, and sustainability – core components to technological success going into 2025.
AWS showcased groundbreaking advancements in next-generation AI tools like Amazon Bedrock and Titan, along with the latest innovations in chip technology and storage solutions. The event highlighted AWS’s steadfast commitment to empowering businesses with scalable, secure, and innovative solutions.
If you couldn’t make it to Vegas this year, don’t worry: we’ve got you covered! Here’s our recap of all the highlights from AWS re:Invent 2024 for your education and inspiration.
Key Announcements from the 2024 Keynotes
1. Peter DeSantis: Advancing Sustainability and Security
During his keynote, Senior Vice President of AWS Utility Computing, Peter DeSantis, put AWS’s latest breakthroughs in cloud security and AI infrastructure on full display.
There was much buzz around his announcement of the pairing of AWS Nitro with Graviton4 processors, improving security through the isolation of data while bolstering performance for services like Aurora. This integration will also mean lower costs for greater efficiency.
Next up was the latency-optimized inference for Amazon Bedrock: an accelerative game-changer for generative AI models like Llama 3.1, thrusting AWS into the lead of real-time AI application platforms.
Liquid-cooled AI servers were also introduced by AWS with the ability to reduce energy consumption and optimize performance for AI workloads. Another demonstration of AWS’s pledge to support sustainable, high-performance cloud infrastructure.
2. CEO Keynote with Matt Garman: Innovating Workflows and Unveiling Nova AI Models
AWS CEO, Matt Garman, shined a light on a plethora of thrilling innovations, including Zero-ETL integrations that connect tools like Zendesk and SAP straight to Redshift, simplifying data workflows and overcoming typical complexities. Security teams can now query data directly in Security Lake using Amazon OpenSearch Service, boosting the efficiency of operations and speeding up response times.
But the keynote’s special guest was the ultimate highlight: attendees were treated to a surprise appearance by Amazon CEO, Andy Jassy. His unveiling of Nova – a cutting-edge suite of AI models for generating text, images, and video – set the crowd alight. Nova now positions AWS as a leader in generative AI, aiding developers with powerful tools.
In closing and having discussed an array of incredible new offerings, Garman spoke inspiring words. In regards to the Techverse and the unlimited potential businesses now have at their fingertips thanks to AWS’s tools, he said: “There has never been a better time to innovate."
3. Dr. Swami Sivasubramanian: Generative AI and Model Customization
Dr. Sivasubramanian’s keynote introduced major progression in generative AI and data analytics. He discussed faster AI model training with SageMaker HyperPod, helping providers like Stability AI and Mist to enjoy quicker deployments.
The Amazon Bedrock marketplace is now offering access to 100+ foundational AI models with the integration of Luma and Luma Ray accessible on the Bedrock interface. Where knowledge is concerned, GraphRAG-powered Bedrock Knowledge Base now provides automatic structure recognition for unstructured data like documents, images, and videos.
Combined with the SageMaker Lakehouse integration, structured and unstructured data can now be seamlessly queried, making way for more efficient and cerebral AI applications. These innovations outline a promising future as they reshape how AI models and analytics are developed over the next while.
4. AWS Partner Keynote with Dr. Ruba Borno: Innovation through Collaboration
Dr. Ruba Borno’s keynote was most elegantly delivered and emphasized the transformative roles of AWS partners by comparing their collaboration with AWS to a symphony: coordinated, smooth, and rousing. New partner competencies, such as AI security, digital sovereignty, and security analytics, were introduced to help clients connect with specialized experts more effectively.
Software purchases have been simplified and global accessibility has expanded thanks to exciting updates made to the AWS Marketplace, such as the “Buy with AWS” feature and local currency support. Borno further spotlighted Amazon Q Developer Transform, which automates version upgrades to save time and money, by stressing the importance of modernizing applications post-migration.
Guest speaker, Francessca Vasquez, doubled down on AWS’s Generative AI Innovation Center which partners can use to scale AI solutions – another testimony to AWS’s commitment to spearheading technological advancements.
5. Dr. Werner Vogels Keynote: Embracing "Simplexity"
Dr. Werner Vogels, VP and CTO at Amazon.com, had the audience spellbound with his vision of "Simplexity" – a method entailing simplifying complex systems by offloading complexity to Amazon’s infrastructure. Using stories and practical lessons, he emphasized the necessity of designing systems that are evolvable, predictable, and cloud-native.
Key strategies discussed included disaggregating systems into standalone building blocks, aligning companies’ organizational structures (their teams, workflows, and hierarchies) with the technical architecture of their systems, and reducing rote work by automating tasks. He highlighted the significance of isolating failures, allowing decentralized deployments, and creating high observability in distributed systems.
A notable, heartfelt topic discussed by Dr. Vogels – his Now Go Build CTO Fellowship – aims to solve global challenges with technology and affords AWS Heroes with mentorship opportunities.
Vogels closed by encouraging teams to embrace complexity as a catalyst for creativity while keeping simplicity at the forefront for users.
EPI-USE at AWS re:Invent 2024: Our Highlights
As a Premier AWS Consulting Partner, our team maintained an incredible presence at AWS re:Invent 2024, spiritedly engaging in events and initiatives that showcased our expertise and collaborations.
These are our three most epic highlights from the conference:
- Valcann Wins AWS Collaboration Partner of the Year (LATAM): Valcann, an EPI-USE Company, proudly received the prestigious "AWS Collaboration Partner of the Year LATAM" award. This recognition displays Valcann’s exceptional use of AWS to deliver impactful solutions across Latin America. Congratulations to the entire Valcann team for this incredible achievement.This milestone highlights the power of collaboration and the transformative impact of AWS solutions. Read the full announcement here.
- EPI-USE's Upcoming Podcast with Jon Myer: Our Senior Executive, Christopher Belford, joined Jon Myer for a podcast during AWS re:Invent. Scheduled for release in January 2025, the episode covers our innovative cloud strategies, rapid migrations, and thought leadership on simplifying cloud solutions. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for the debut!
- Networking at Evolutio’s Official Reception: Held at the Foundation Room, Mandalay Bay, our team joined the Evolutio networking reception – a standout event of the week. A relaxed environment coupled with a fantastic turnout fostered easy connections with industry leaders and an uplifting spirit of collaboration. Congrats to Evolutio for pulling off such a successful event!
These highlights showcase EPI-USE's dedication to creativity, collaboration, and meaningful contributions to the AWS ecosystem.
EPI-USE and AWS’s Vision for 2025 and Beyond
AWS re:Invent’s unique atmosphere is created by far more than the anticipated announcements made at the event: it unifies the tech industry with a shared vision for a smarter, more connected world.
As a Premier AWS Consulting Partner, we strive to bring these ground-breaking technologies to our clients, helping them enjoy digital transformations confidently. Whether it’s scaling your cloud infrastructure, optimizing workflows with AI, or simplifying complex systems, we’re here to guide you every step of the way.