Service providers looking to obtain the AWS seal of approval for generative AI can expect months of work as they tick off dozens of requirements and prepare detailed customer case studies.
Last week, AWS identified 32 companies as the first batch of services partners to complete its generative AI competency. This competency demonstrates a company’s expertise in providing services or developing software for particular industries, use cases, or workloads. With more than 40 specializations offered by the cloud provider, companies that meet the latest competency criteria could gain a point of differentiation among AWS customers looking for help cultivating generative AI use cases or taking proof-of-concept (PoC) applications into production.
Market research firm Canalys found that 87% of cloud customers rank partner specializations as a top-three selection criteria, highlighting the importance of these competencies. Canalys also predicts that generative AI will become a $158.6 billion channel ecosystem opportunity by 2028.
The process of earning the generative AI competency involves meeting technical and business operations requirements, as well as documenting customer success. Daniel Goldberg, chief marketing officer at Loka, a consultancy based in California, described the competency as the most technically demanding certification AWS offers for partners. The process took about two and a half months to complete for Loka, which had established an AI and machine learning practice years ago.
Fiona Greeley, head of client services operations at DoiT International, a company providing multi-cloud services and FinOps technology, said the competency process spanned a few months and included common AWS partner practice standards and specific generative AI criteria.
Partners pursuing the AWS Generative AI Competency can expect benefits such as technical and business accreditation, access to AWS technicians for PoCs, and training materials for accelerating PoC execution. The competency helps partners showcase their generative AI expertise and grow their GenAI services business, certifying their success in guiding and implementing GenAI strategies for customers.
With the certification in hand, partners like DoiT International are able to collaborate with customers to move them from experimentation to implementation, showcasing successful generative AI deployments. This certification puts partners at the forefront of customers’ generative AI deployments, especially as pilots begin to scale.
Overall, the AWS Generative AI Competency is a significant achievement for service providers looking to excel in the rapidly growing field of generative AI.