Amazon.com Inc.‘s (NASDAQ:AMZN) Amazon Web Services (AWS) has reportedly expanded its free credit program for startups.
Amazon will now be able to use its cloud credits to cover usage of models from other providers, including: human, Meta, Mistral AIand close contactReuters reported.
The move reflects the company’s aim to increase market share for its AI platform Bedrock.
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“This is an opportunity for us to expand the startup ecosystem in exchange for our hope that startups continue to choose AWS as their first destination,” said Howard Wright, vice president and global head of startups at AWS. It’s another gift to give back.”
The news follows another significant investment by Amazon in Anthropic, bringing the total investment to $4 billion.
According to the report, Amazon has provided more than $6 billion in credits to startups over the past decade.
Additionally, Amazon has partnered with Y Combinator to provide $500,000 in credits for the latest cohort launched in January. This can be used with AI models and Amazon chips.
Notably, other major cloud providers such as Microsoft Azure issue credits that can be used for models in OpenAI, and Google’s cloud credits can be applied to over 130 models in Vertex AI.
Such investments are subject to intense scrutiny from regulators. In January, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced Thursday that it had launched an investigation into generative AI investments and partnerships to better understand these relationships and their impact on the competitive landscape.
Investors can gain exposure to stocks in the following ways: SPDR Select Sector Fund – Consumer Discretionary (NYSE:XLY) and Vanguard Consumer Discretionary ETF (NYSE:VCR).
price action:AMZN stock was down 1.03% at $179.11 at last check on Tuesday.
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The article Amazon heats up AI battle, offering free credits to startups that use rival models on AWS originally appeared on Benzinga.com
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