Cloud adoption is in its early stages across industries, Sunil PP, AWS

How is AWS strengthening its partner outreach in India? Could you highlight any recent impactful collaborations in education, government, healthcare, and space-tech?

Certainly, I’ll provide two key examples. One is our collaboration with Redington, a large distributor serving government, education, healthcare, and several other industries. Together with Redington, we launched a program called Red.AI.

We developed this by leveraging a tool called the Targeted Transmission Module (TTM), which helps transform partners to address opportunities in Generative AI (Gen AI). Red.AI is an outcome of this initiative. It’s designed to assist smaller downstream partners in understanding how to effectively sell Gen AI solutions in the market. This partnership is currently live and public.

The second example is a collaboration with the Tamil Nadu government through an organization called iTNT. This is a particularly interesting initiative where we partnered with iTNT and Anna University. The objective is to bring together 570 colleges under Anna University to foster the development of Gen AI solutions, specifically tailored to government needs.

This initiative was launched around five to six weeks ago, and the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu expressed enthusiasm about it. This is the first instance where students are actively developing AI solutions for government purposes, making it a unique and exciting project.

What are your views on the potential of cloud computing workloads in the public sector, and which sector do you see having the most opportunities for AWS partners?

Cloud adoption is still in its early stages across industries, including the public sector. Most customers are currently approaching it through a "lift and shift" model, which involves migrating existing applications to the cloud. However, this is only part of the journey. The true potential of cloud computing will be realized when applications are built specifically for the cloud, and that transformation journey is just beginning.

A very small percentage of customers across industries have started using the cloud effectively. If we look at any industry, the cloud journey is still in its infancy. For example, take the education sector, which is a particular area of interest for me. While many ed-tech companies are utilizing AWS, there are still numerous institutions that are only beginning to explore cloud adoption. Generative AI (GenAI) presents an interesting opportunity in this space.

An example I’d like to highlight is Digii, a partner based in Bangalore, founded by Hemant. They have developed a solution called DigiiAI, which is built on AWS. It’s a very innovative tool that is currently being used by six universities. DigiiAI helps automate the creation of question papers, a task that typically takes pce frequently within universities. The solution uses representative content to generate question papers of varying difficulty levels. This tool is now live, and institutions, including some IITs, are using it as a sample model.

How is AWS supporting its partners in leveraging Gen AI to develop innovative solutions?

One example is DigiiAI, where partners are creating innovative modules using Gen AI. Additionally, other partners are working on different approaches. For instance, ShellKode, based in Bangalore, is one of the first Gen AI competency partners in India. They are spearheading a campaign focused on creating a skilled Gen AI workforce, to empower 100,000 women in the field of Gen AI. This initiative aims to build a Gen AI ecosystem with women in technology and is currently active in the market.

Another notable initiative is Red.AI, which focuses on building a partner ecosystem around Gen AI. These examples demonstrate how AWS is enabling its partners by providing the necessary technology support and information, along with real-world examples, to help them enter the market.

Today, AWS partners have ready-made Gen AI solutions tailored to specific industries. For instance, AWS has developed use cases for partners to present solutions to different sectors, such as education and government. This simplification allows partners to introduce Gen AI solutions to their customers more easily, facilitating discussions and opening up new opportunities for growth and business expansion.

What are the AWS Partner Initiatives for Competency Building and Upskilling?

AWS has introduced several initiatives to help its partners build competencies to better address the needs of the public sector, including targeted training programs for upskilling. For example, AWS offers continuous training programs designed for partners who have been working with AWS for a decade or more and are looking to upgrade their skills. Specifically for Generative AI (Gen AI), AWS has launched a Targeted Transformation Module aimed at enhancing partners' Gen AI capabilities.

AWS also provides financial support through dedicated funds. In June of this year, a $50 million fund was made available to public sector customers to develop Gen AI applications. This funding can be used by customers to build public sector solutions. Additionally, there is a $230 million fund available for startups focused on AI development, offering financial backing for those using AWS to build innovative solutions.

Another key initiative is the Partner Transformation Module (PTP), which involves a 100-day workshop designed to help partners adapt their business models to the cloud. AWS has been running this program for the past three years, guiding partners through the transformation required to effectively operate in the cloud business, which differs from traditional licensing models. This program has equipped partners with the skills needed to successfully pitch, sell, and build cloud-based solutions.

The third ongoing initiative is the Gen AI-focused Targeted Transformation Program, which is separate from the broader training programs and is specifically designed to support partners working in the AI space. The results of these engagements are evident in the success stories from partners who have participated in these programs.

What are the challenges Faced by AWS Partners? Suggest some strategies to overcome those challenges.

AWS partners in India have faced several challenges during the adoption of cloud technology, particularly in relation to government projects. Initially, there was a reluctance within government agencies to adopt cloud solutions, largely due to concerns over scalability and data security. However, this mindset began to shift during the pandemic, highlighting the need for robust technological solutions that could scale rapidly.

The CoWIN platform, developed during the pandemic, demonstrated the ability to scale from a single user to millions overnight due to the cloud infrastructure. This success alleviated previous concerns about cloud capabilities, leading to increased acceptance within government sectors. As a result, many government projects now consider cloud as a preferred solution for large-scale applications.

One ongoing challenge remains the cautious approach of procurement agencies, many of which still prefer to evaluate alternative models before fully committing to cloud solutions. While this cautious mindset persists, it is gradually evolving as more government departments successfully implement cloud-based projects.

Several major government initiatives have further accelerated this shift, including DigiLocker for credential storage, DigiYatra for airports, and Samarth eGov, the largest learning platform used by Delhi University and the Ministry of Education, all running on AWS infrastructure. Additionally, the SIP 2.0 platform, a skilling initiative by the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), operates on AWS, further transforming the ecosystem of public services onto the cloud.

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