Amazon Web Services CEO Adam Selipsky took the AWS re:Invent mainstage for his keynote presentation to unveil a number of new services and solutions.
With more than 50,000 customers and partners attending in person, 300,000 virtual attendees globally and 2,300 sessions, Selipsky encouraged the audience to take advantage of the different learnings at the event.
“We’ve got so much innovation to share,” he said during his opening remarks.
These innovations, according to the AWS chief, are driven mainly by customers.
“Majority of our innovation is driven by listening to and responding to our customers in every industry, geography and use case, and as you keep proving there’s no challenge too big,” said Selipsky.
Selipsky covered a lot of ground during his two-hour keynote, among the key themes that he delved into are sustainability and data.
The issue of our generation
Before delving into the new solutions, Selipsky turned the spotlight on sustainability.
According to the AWS chief, Amazon is currently the world’s largest purchaser of renewable energy.
“We’re committed to power operations with 100 percent renewable energy by 2025, who were really on target and over 85 percent of the way there and we’re also investing through. Everyone gets involved. It’s a problem for all of us.”
Earlier this week, AWS announced its vision and strategy to become water+ by 2030. The strategy will see the company optimise its water usage and “return more water” than they use in the communities they operate in.
“We’re building sustainability into everything we do, and that includes working with you. We’re determined to be inventive, and relentless, as we work to make the cloud the cleanest and the most energy-efficient way to run all of your infrastructure and your businesses.”
Selipsky also shed light on the ongoing economic uncertainties across the globe and the role cloud plays in alleviating challenges.
“Inflation, supply chain disruption, chip shortages, energy prices and the global pandemic has impacted many. In times of uncertainty, it can actually be tempting to cut back slow down. But when it comes to the cloud, many of our customers know that they should be leaning in.”
“The cloud is more cost-effective and many customers are saving 30 percent or more,” he said. “If you’re looking to tighten your belt, the cloud is the place to do it.”
The vast realm of data
Over the next five years, we will create more than double the amount of data produced since the dawn of the digital age, Selipsky noted citing industry predictions.
He then noted that managing the scale and growth of this data will both a challenge and an opportunity for businesses.
“Data is at the centre of applications, processes and business decisions. It is the cornerstone of almost every organisation’s digital transformation,” he said.
However, “working with data is tricky,” according to the AWS chief.
Comparing the data explosion to the vastness of space, Selipsky noted that just like space, data can’t be explored with just one technology.
“You need a complete set of tools that account for the scale and variety of this data and the many purposes for which you want to use it,” he said.
Data needs to be integrated with the right governance and security to enable organisations to better understand and visualise it in a way that can generate business insights.
To that end, Selipsky unveiled an array of new solutions across storage, analytics, security and more to empower customers derive more value from their data.
Here’s a list of everything the AWS chief announced during his keynote.
