AWS re:Invent Conference: 2024 Wrap-Up & 2025 Preview

Curious about AWS re:Invent in 2025? Here’s what we know:

• AWS re:Invent 2025 dates are scheduled for December 1^st-5^th, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Read on for a full recap from AWS re:Invent 2024.

AWS re:Invent 2024, held from December 2nd-6th, 2024 in Las Vegas, brought together cloud computing professionals, developers, and industry leaders for a week of groundbreaking announcements, technical deep dives, and hands-on learning.

Kicking off with keynote presentations featuring AWS executives and top industry innovators, the event highlighted the latest advancements in cloud technology, artificial intelligence, and security. Some of the major themes this year included:

• Next-generation AI and machine learning advancements
• Innovations in serverless computing and containerization
• Enhanced security and compliance solutions for the cloud
• Sustainability and cost optimization

In addition to the keynotes, attendees participated in chalk talks, workshops, and networking opportunities. AWS also hosted exciting re:Play events and certification exams, allowing professionals to level up their cloud expertise.

As one of the most anticipated cloud computing events of the year, AWS re:Invent 2024 set the stage for the future of enterprise technology. This blog post will recap the major announcements, product launches, and industry trends from this year’s conference.

(Interested in more tech conferences? Be sure to check out our many conference guides, available in the menu on the right-hand side.)

Themes & insights from AWS re:Invent 2024

AWS re:invent 2024 showcased groundbreaking innovations, setting the stage for the next era of cloud computing. From AI advancements to serverless solutions and enhanced security frameworks, AWS revealed a vision for businesses to innovate and operate more efficiently.

See below for a detailed list of announcements and themes from AWSre:Invent 2024.

Next-generation AI and machine learning advancements

AWS made major strides in AI and machine learning (ML) at AWS re:Invent 2024, setting a bold vision for the future. One of the standout announcements was the launch of Amazon Nova, a new set of powerful foundation models built to tackle both language and computer vision challenges. These models come in response to the growing demand for AI tools that are more scalable and accessible.

AWS also introduced the Trainium2 chip, designed to push the boundaries of AI training. This will offer a greater performance and cost efficiency compared to NVIDIA’s GPUs. AWS’s strategic move to build a super-cluster for AI training by partnering with Anthropic further confirms its commitment to competing at the highest level in the generative AI space.

In addition, AWS’s Bedrock platform continues to evolve. It is now serving as a marketplace for a wide range of AI models that are ready to be used across different industries. Amazon SageMaker has been reimagined to make it easier for organizations to streamline their AI/ML workflows. Enhancements include the Unified Studio and HyperPod orchestration tool, both of which simplify the model training and fine-tuning process.

(Related reading: automation vs. orchestration.)

Innovations in serverless computing and containerization

Serverless computing and containerization continue to be pillars of AWS’s offering, simplifying cloud management for businesses of all sizes.

AWS took another step forward with Amazon Q, a generative AI assistant that is designed to help businesses automate everything from data readiness to workflow modernization. This next-gen AI assistant can handle complex tasks using natural language. This makes AI integration into business processes easier and faster than before.

AWS also introduced a range of updates that are designed to boost the capabilities of its container and serverless platforms. With Amazon EKS (Elastic Kubernetes Service), AWS is making it easier to unify Kubernetes management across both cloud and on-premises environments. This will allow businesses to leverage their existing infrastructure while also streamlining operations. Meanwhile, Amazon EKS Auto Mode takes container management a step further by automating compute, storage, and networking, which reduces overhead and increases operational agility.

Enhanced security and compliance solutions for the cloud

In a time where cloud security is essential, AWS has significantly enhanced its security offerings.

GuardDuty, AWS’s intelligent threat detection service, now integrates AI/ML to detect complex attack patterns across workflows and applications. This offers a more proactive approach to cybersecurity. This includes the ability to follow attack sequences, which makes it easier for teams to understand the lifecycle of a threat and take the correct action.

Additionally, AWS expanded its offerings with AWS Clean Rooms, which allows secure collaboration between organizations across multiple data sources, ensuring sensitive data is protected. This is crucial for companies looks to maintain compliance with strict regulations like GDPR while enabling cross-company insights.

AWS is also placing a strong emphasis on multicloud security. This is to ensure that customers can secure their operations across various cloud environments.

Sustainability and cost optimization

Sustainability is another important aspect of AWS’s strategy. The company announced a new data center design that is aimed at improving efficiency and reducing carbon footprints. This will include a 14% reduction in carbon intensity, a 46% decrease in mechanical use energy, and 35% less embodied carbon. AWS’s focus on green cloud technology is designed to make it easier for businesses to run environmentally conscious operations without compromising performance.

On the cost optimization front, AWS continues to innovate. With tools like the AWS Pricing Calculator and AI-powered cost management features, businesses now have greater visibility into their cloud spending. The introduction of the genAI-enabled cost search function within Amazon Q Developer is a game-changer for cost analysis. This allows users to quickly identify spending anomalies and optimize their usage of AWS resources.

General observations

Looking for a quick recap of AWS re:Invent 2024? See below for general observations and trends.

What is AWS re:Invent?

AWS re:Invent bills itself as “the most transformative event in tech”, inviting participants to “get inspired and rethink what’s possible”. It’s been around for 10+ years, and it focuses on all things cloud computing. Which is to say: every angle of technology.

Interestingly, re:Invent is also the name of a 37-story office building at the Amazon headquarters in Seattle. Which came first? The building only opened in 2019, and it was named after the already-established event. Our guess is the views here are pretty amazing.

Why attend AWS re:Invent

AWS re:Invent is your best opportunity to get hands-on access and learn from AWS experts. No matter if you're a certified AWS expert or a newbie, all are welcome here to pick up new skills, explore new use cases, and, ultimately, learn about the latest in all things AWS.

Wondering who attends this event? The better question might be who doesn’t attend it. Beyond the great Amazon community itself, you can expect to see employees and fans, booths, and networking opportunities from all the biggest names in tech (and tons of smaller ones too) including Cisco, PwC, Infosys, and yes, Splunk! 

The global cloud community has been meeting at re:Invent for 10+ years in order to network, get inspired, and imagine innovation. Attendees at re:Invent can expect all sorts of programming, including:

• Bootcamps designed to expand your understanding of AWS services, and solutions to help prep you for certification.
• Breakout sessions, organized by experience level and led by AWS experts.
• Expo, the busy floor where it all happens: peer networking, hands-on chats, and interactive demos.
• AWS Builder Labs, where cloudies and devs can experience AWS in a live sandbox environment.
• Partner experience shares stories of cloud-powered innovation and how partners like Splunk use AWS Cloud.

Tips for new attendees

Scour Reddit or the internet and you’ll definitely pick up some tips from the attendees who’ve been doing this for a while. Here are some tips to think about before you get to Vegas:

• Book sessions ASAP with the mobile app. AWS will release a mobile app for the 2025 event. Book sessions as soon as you can, because many of the popular ones will fill up in advance.
• Use your sessions to pick your hotel. Walking around Vegas can take a long time, so if you see a bunch of your must-do activities in one place, try to sleep as close to that venue as possible.
• Meet people, meet people, meet people! These events are great for formal and informal networking. Introduce yourself, wear some fun swag, and even schedule meetings in advance with colleagues, friends, or clients that you know will be there. With the event so spread out, it’s impossible to just “bump into” someone you’re looking for.
• Plan for packed shuttle buses. AWS does run shuttle buses, but at particularly busy times like mid-morning or for major keynotes. That’s why your comfortable shoes are key.
• Explore Vegas. Yes, the cloud is everywhere, but Vegas itself is worth experiencing IRL. Book a special restaurant or check out one of the many excellent museums for yourself.

Splunk and AWS

At the core of Splunk’s solutions is our extensible data platform that provides end-to-end visibility into an organization’s entire technology stack, including AWS, on-premises, and other environments.

Splunk and AWS celebrate 13 years of strategic collaboration – that’s more than a decade of teamwork, co-innovation, and exceptional data-driven outcomes for our joint customers. With Splunk and AWS, customers can innovate with confidence, migrate and modernize existing environments, scale without limits, and keep systems secure.

• Splunk has been recognized with 8 AWS Competencies, 4 Service Validations, and 3 Partner Programs and is a Premium AWS Marketplace Seller and a top AWS ISV Workload Migration Partner.
• Splunk was an AWS launch partner for Amazon Security Lake and AWS AppFabric. The Splunk Add-On for AWS allows Splunk to efficiently ingest OCSF-compliant data from Amazon Security Lake and AppFabric, enabling security teams to readily use data from AWS and other sources to achieve comprehensive attack-surface coverage.
• Splunk OpenTelemetry instrumentation for AWS Lambda enables you to effectively manage and monitor Lambda functions as part of your serverless applications, ensuring reliability and efficiency.

Splunk at AWS re:Invent 2024

Check out this episode of Security LIVE! where Colin Gibbens, Director of Product Management at Splunk, talk about the general availability launch of Splunk Federated Analytics and its integration with Amazon Security Lake.

Splunk’s sessions at this years conference:

• Troubleshooting in complex environments faster with Splunk
• Turning data into action: Cisco & Splunk’s strategic blueprint on AWS

AWS re:Invent 2024 keynote speaker from JPMorganChase

See below for a clip of a keynote speaker, Lori Beer, JPMorganChase’s chief information officer, at the 2024 AWS re:Invent conference where she discusses how early cloud investments helped unlock generative AI's business value to enhance global customer and employee experiences.

(Related reading: Top announcements of AWS re:Invent 2024).