Feb 19, 2024 - Amazon Web Services (AWS), Amazon’s cloud computing division, unveiled its plans to make technology and generative artificial intelligence (AI) readily available. This initiative comes as the global generative AI sector becomes increasingly competitive.
Jaime Valles, AWS Vice President of the commercial sector for Asia-Pacific and Japan, highlighted the transformative influence of cloud computing in granting global access to technology and services. This move cultivates an environment conducive to innovation and cooperation, allowing businesses to utilise sophisticated tools to instigate meaningful change.
AWS concentrates on improving customer experience, agility, and data-informed decision-making, empowering businesses of all sizes to exploit the opportunities presented by the cloud. The company also finances programmes for startups to design local language models for generative AI, available across the Asia-Pacific region, including Thailand, Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia. Furthermore, AWS has launched an AI accelerator programme, setting aside up to US$200,000 for startups seeking to utilise AI capabilities.
Valles mentions that companies across the Asia-Pacific and Japan are participating in experiments and early adoption of generative AI, spanning sectors such as risk management, logistics, and supply chains. In 2022, AWS proposed a plan to invest US$5 billion in Thailand in the next 15 years, working alongside the Thai government to advocate for policies that promote technology adoption in cloud computing and AI to stimulate economic development and growth.
While being aware of the competitive nature of the cloud market, AWS maintains its focus on fulfilling customer needs. The AWS marketplace serves as a platform for independent software vendors to globally showcase and distribute their AI-driven solutions. Valles expressed that this can serve as an export channel for vendors and startups in Thailand. He also noted trends in AI applications across diverse sectors, particularly in healthcare, logistics, finance, and consumer-facing industries.
Addressing concerns about AI replacing human labour, Valles emphasised that technology functions as a facilitator, empowering individuals to add more value, innovate, and create new opportunities. He advocated for employees to utilise technology to enhance skills and drive growth, rather than perceiving it as a threat to employment. In the face of economic uncertainty, Valles suggested that companies prioritise innovation and agility by closely aligning with customer needs and investing in emerging technologies such as AI.
Annual Growth
Vatsun Thirapatarapong, Country Manager for AWS Thailand, predicted that public cloud computing services in Thailand will continue to grow, with a compound annual growth rate of 18.6% projected to reach US$2.5 billion by 2027. AWS plans to focus more on the specific needs of industries for advanced cloud, stimulating their innovation and enhancing efficiency.
Vatsun also forecasted that generative AI will become culturally aware as large language models trained on culturally diverse data gain more of an understanding of the human experience and complex societal challenges. This cultural fluency aims to democratise generative AI, making it more accessible to users, reported Bangkok Post.
