Artificial intelligence is no longer just a buzzword but a critical tool for business survival, with 65% of organizations already integrating GenAI into their operations, according to a McKinsey Global Survey. Recognizing this shift, Amazon Web Services (AWS) hosted the ‘AWS TechFest: AI for Every Business’ in Hong Kong on September 3, 2024. The event, attended by over 1,000 participants and featuring 20 partners, aimed to empower companies to optimize operations and focus on growth by leveraging AI solutions.
The full-day event featured a variety of interactive sessions and labs across three tracks tailored to participants’ expertise and interests. Solution builders delved into pretraining large language models (LLMs) and productivity enhancement, while start-ups and software vendors connected with investors to address challenges like fundraising and regulatory issues. Marketers, developers, and HR professionals attended industry-specific guided tours to explore real-world applications of AI. The event also showcased next-generation tools like Amazon SageMaker and Agentic LLM, providing participants with hands-on experience and insights into AWS Certification Exams through training sessions and workshops.
AWS TechFest served as a platform for businesses to experiment with cutting-edge AI solutions and hear firsthand accounts of success stories. Local financial publication etnet, for example, utilized Amazon Bedrock to revolutionize its news production process. Andrew Lai, Product Director of etnet, noted that the integration of advanced AI models into their content management system resulted in a 70% boost in productivity. This was achieved through improved information extraction and summarization capabilities, enabling the team to process high volumes of documents swiftly and accurately.
Datax Limited, a provider of over 30 automation solutions including speech recognition and natural language processing, benefited from AWS’s flexible and cost-effective infrastructure. Their subsidiary, Subanana, saw a reduction in IT infrastructure costs by 10 to 20% using Amazon SageMaker JumpStart. Co-founder Aric Fung highlighted how AWS’s pay-as-you-go model and comprehensive ecosystem enabled them to expand their solutions across various industries such as media, finance, and property management, demonstrating the scalability and reliability of AWS services.
Butler Asia, an AI-driven real estate solution provider, has also harnessed AWS to support its growth and innovation. Co-founder Jonathan Lam credited AWS’s global reach and robust AI and machine learning services for enabling the company to scale its infrastructure dynamically and meet growing client demands. With plans to further integrate Amazon Bedrock and explore IoT services for smart building data management, Butler Asia aims to enhance its service offerings and continue its expansion into new markets.
The AWS TechFest showcased the transformative potential of generative AI solutions, emphasizing that businesses can build and scale AI applications with ease and personalization. As AI technology continues to evolve, it offers unprecedented opportunities to streamline traditional processes, reduce operational costs, and gain a competitive edge in a rapidly changing market. For businesses looking to future-proof their operations, embracing AI is an essential step forward.
READ MORE: