In Season 5, Episode 3, Karl and Jon are joined by Matt Martz, Principal Software Architect at Definitive and an AWS Community Builder. They discuss AWS CloudWatch’s evolution into a unified observability platform with Apache Iceberg support; AWS Backup’s 2023 year in review and new features; five ways to use Kiro and Amazon Q to optimize infrastructure; the opening of the AWS European Sovereign Cloud; and Amazon’s plans for a data center site at a former power plant in the UK. And somehow, Karl managed to go off on a tangent about Lily Allen song lyrics…

03:54 - AWS CloudWatch Evolution

CloudWatch has improved significantly over the years, becoming more competitive with third-party tools like Datadog and Splunk. The new Apache Iceberg support enhances its capabilities for log analysis and multi-account aggregation. While this may increase costs, it provides better insights into traffic and data usage.

11:29 - AWS Backup 2023 Review

AWS Backup added support for new services like Redshift Serverless, Aurora PostgreSQL, and EKS. Key features discussed include automated restore testing, item-level search and recovery, and logically air-gapped vaults. The panel highlighted the importance of testing backups and the benefits of infrastructure as code for backup strategies.

20:25 - Kiro and Amazon Q for Infrastructure Optimization

The article discusses five ways to use Kiro and Amazon Q for infrastructure optimization, including cost optimization, automated recommendations, and integrating optimization into development workflows. The panel discussed the benefits of using AI tools for infrastructure management and coding assistance.

33:00 - AWS European Sovereign Cloud

AWS has opened its European Sovereign Cloud, designed to meet strict data sovereignty requirements for European businesses and government organizations. The cloud is physically and logically separated from the main AWS infrastructure, with European personnel and data centers. The panel discussed the implications and potential use cases for this specialized cloud offering.

40:21 - Amazon's UK Data Center Plans

Amazon is planning to build a data center at the site of a former coal-fired power station in Didcot, UK. This represents a significant investment in UK data center infrastructure and demonstrates Amazon's strategy of repurposing brownfield sites for data center development. The panel discussed the implications of this development and the broader context of data center expansion in the UK.

In Season 5, Episode 2, Karl and Jon are joined by Allen Helton, an AWS Hero and ecosystem engineer at Momento. They discuss AWS raising GPU prices by 15% for specific instance types, accelerating cloud modernization with AWS MCPs and Quiro, AWS getting approval for three new data centers in Dublin, Ireland, Allen Helton’s blog post on optimizing image serving from S3, and recent layoffs at Amazon Web Services. And then the guys start debating whether it’s “champing at the bit” or “chomping at the bit,” completely derailing their discussion of AWS news.

04:04 - AWS raising GPU prices

This is the first specific price rise from AWS in two decades, affecting certain GPU instance types. While it only impacts a small subset of users, it sets a precedent that could make future price increases easier. The move goes against AWS's typical strategy of only lowering prices over time.

11:28 - Accelerating cloud modernization with AWS MCPs and Quiro

The article discusses how AI-powered tools like Quiro and AWS MCPs can help streamline cloud modernization processes. These tools can analyze existing systems, plan modernization efforts, and even assist in implementation, potentially reducing the time and effort required for such projects.

21:30 - AWS new data centers in Dublin

AWS received approval for three new data centers in Dublin, Ireland. This expansion will increase capacity in the region, potentially leading to better service availability and possibly lower prices. The approval comes with requirements for power agreements with local energy providers.

27:48 - Allen Helton's blog post on S3 image optimization

Allen shared his experience optimizing image serving from S3 for his blog. He implemented various techniques to improve Core Web Vitals scores, resulting in better performance and SEO rankings. The post highlights the importance of consistency in content creation and how it can lead to significant growth in readership.

37:30 - AWS layoffs

Amazon has laid off several hundred employees from its AWS division as part of a broader effort to streamline operations. While the numbers are relatively small compared to AWS's total workforce, it's part of a trend of tech companies adjusting their workforce in 2024. The layoffs primarily affected tangential divisions within AWS.

In Season 5, Episode 1, Karl and Jon are joined by Peter Sankauscas, an AWS Hero and User Group Leader. They discuss whether AI is replacing younger employees and what that could mean for businesses, OpenAI’s potential investment from Amazon, and AWS leadership changes — including Peter DeSantis’s new role. They also cover AWS flat-rate pricing plans for CloudFront and WAF, the 2026 Answers for AWS survey, and even ask whether AI data centres could be affecting the world’s weather.

04:47 - AI replacing young employees

AWS CEO Matt Garman stated that replacing young employees with AI is a bad idea for businesses. The discussion highlighted the importance of junior employees for company growth, innovation, and diversity of thought. The speakers also touched on how AI is changing customer service roles.

15:04 - OpenAI's potential investment from Amazon

The article discussed rumors of Amazon potentially investing $10 billion in OpenAI. The speakers debated the implications of this investment, including its impact on the AI industry and potential financial risks. They also discussed OpenAI's relationships with other tech giants like Microsoft.

19:38 - AWS leadership changes

Peter DeSantis was appointed to lead a new organization focusing on AI models, the Amazon Nova portfolio, and AGI (Artificial General Intelligence). The speakers discussed the significance of this role and its potential impact on AWS's AI strategy.

26:37 - AWS flat rate pricing plans

AWS announced new flat rate pricing plans for CloudFront and WAF, potentially competing with services like Cloudflare. The speakers discussed the benefits of these plans and how they might affect customer choices and costs.

35:02 - Answers for AWS survey

Peter Sankauscas explained the annual community-run survey he conducts to understand trends in AWS service usage. He discussed new categories added for 2026, such as AI SDLC, and highlighted some interesting findings from the previous year's survey, including the adoption of Graviton and the popularity of DynamoDB.

LInk to this years survey https://answersforaws.com/survey/