AWS re:Invent Recap: Standouts from 15 Significant Product Releases and Partner Partnerships
At AWS re:Invent 2023 last week, the $92 billion business unveiled hundreds of new hardware, software, and partner-focused technologies in an effort to disrupt the cloud computing, AI, and channel sectors.
Along with new processors and cloud storage offerings, the $92 billion cloud behemoth also unveiled a number of new tools for AWS partners, reseller advantages, and channel incentives. A number of new generative AI-focused releases were also made, such as Amazon Q and updates to Amazon Bedrock.
“GenAI is the next step in artificial intelligence,” said AWS CEO Adam Selipsky during his re:Invent keynote. “And it’s going to reinvent every application that we interact with at work and at home.”
Ruba Borno, the global channel leader for AWS, introduced new partner competences, services, and tools at AWS re:Invent 2023 with the goal of assisting clients in realizing their aspirations for business transformation.
“The trick to maintaining a sense of wonder is to always be curious,” said Borno, vice president of worldwide Channel and Alliances, during her keynote. “And the key to accomplishing your dreams is to have the best team behind you. And I’m talking about the best partner network supporting you every step of the way. AWS is here for you, to help our customers and your customers, realize those dreams.”
At re:Invent 2023, CRN highlights the top 15 new product announcements and AWS partner news that every solution provider should be aware of.
Graviton4 Processors on AWS
AWS revealed its new Graviton4 chip at re:Invent 2023, making it one of the greatest announcements to date.
“Graviton4 is the most energy-efficient chip that we have ever built,” said AWS CEO Adam Selipsky.
The new Graviton4 processor features 50% more cores and 75% more memory than Graviton3 chips. According to AWS, the combination of the Graviton4’s 96 Neoverse V2 cores, 2 MB of L2 cache per core, and 12 DDR5-5600 channels makes it up to 40% faster than the Graviton3 for databases, 30% quicker for web applications, and 45% faster for large Java applications.
Using Graviton4 processors, AWS developed a new type of Amazon EC2 instance called R8G instances, designed to offer the optimum balance of cost and performance for workloads optimized for memory. For memory-intensive tasks like databases, in-memory caches, and real-time big data analytics, R8G instances are perfect. Along with supporting all of the security features from the other generations, the new Graviton4 AWS processors also come with several significant additions, such as Branch Target Identification (BTI) and encrypted high-speed hardware interfaces.
New Benefits And Incentives For Amazon Resellers And Distributors
In order to support AWS resellers and distributors in improving their reselling skills, AWS has launched additional perks. One such benefit is a new Foundational Technical Review, which assists new partners in adopting AWS best practices while reselling AWS services.
Furthermore, in an effort to boost reseller profitability and recognize AWS revenue growth from end customers in the early phases of AWS adoption, AWS revealed a new Customer Engagement Incentive (CEI) with the addition of growth discounts.
In addition, a Public Sector Discount is available to resellers that match government end-customer opportunities. Additionally, the Partner Growth Rebate’s credit system has been replaced with discounts for partners and distributors, streamlining the incentive structure.
The goal of these additional benefits for resellers and distributors is to increase profitability by streamlining discount payments. In the first quarter of 2024, they will be integrated into the AWS Solution Provider Program.
