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As we move into the second week of 2025, China is celebrating the Laba Festival (腊八节), a traditional holiday that marks the beginning of preparations for the Chinese New Year. On this day, the Chinese prepare Laba congee, a special porridge combining different grains, dried fruits and nuts. This
the nourishing blend symbolizes harmony, prosperity and happiness – with each ingredient representing the diversity and abundance of life. This traditional practice dates back to when the Buddha attained enlightenment after eating rice porridge, making it a symbol of both material and spiritual nourishment. Held on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, the festival marks the countdown to the Spring Festival, the most important traditional Chinese holiday celebrating family reunification and renewal.
As our global technology community grows, such cultural celebrations remind us of the importance of inclusive innovation and shared progress.
Last week’s launch
Let’s take a look at what Amazon Web Services (AWS) launched this week.
New AWS Asia Pacific (Thailand) Region – AWS has expanded its global infrastructure with the launch of a new AWS Asia Pacific (Thailand) region that includes three Availability Zones. With this addition, customers in Thailand and across Southeast Asia can serve customers with reduced latency while maintaining data residency in Thailand. The newly launched Region supports the full range of AWS services and strengthens our presence in the fast-growing ASEAN market.
New AWS Direct Connect Location in Bangkok – Following the launch of our Thailand region, we established a new AWS Direct Connect location in Bangkok and expanded our existing infrastructure. This add-on provides customers in Thailand with improved connectivity and reduced network latency when accessing AWS services.
Database and analytics
Configurable point-in-time refresh periods for Amazon DynamoDB – Amazon DynamoDB now enables customizable point-in-time refresh periods (PITRs), meaning customers can specify a refresh period ranging from 1 to 35 days on a per-table basis. This enhancement enables organizations to meet precise compliance requirements while maximizing cost efficiency. This feature is now available in all AWS regions, including AWS GovCloud (US West) and China regions. This flexibility in data recovery periods allows customers to precisely align backup policies with their business requirements and regulatory obligations.
Amazon MSK Connect APIs with AWS PrivateLink – Amazon Managed Streaming for Apache Kafka Connect (Amazon MSK Connect) APIs now support AWS PrivateLink, allowing customers to access MSK Connect APIs through private endpoints within their virtual private cloud (VPC). This enhancement provides increased security and reduces data exposure by keeping traffic on the AWS network.
Generative AI and Machine Learning
Amazon Q Developer in SageMaker Code Editor – Amazon Q Developer is now integrated into the Amazon SageMaker Code Editor integrated development environment (IDE), improving the AI-assisted developer experience. Smart code suggestions, documentation help, and contextual recommendations are now directly available in the SageMaker development environment.
Management and administration
AWS Systems Manager Automation in AWS Chatbot – AWS Chatbot now offers 20 additional AWS Systems Manager Automation runbook recommendations that expand its capabilities for automated operations management. These new recommendations help customers streamline their operational tasks and more effectively implement best practices through chat-based interactions.
AWS Transit Gateway Cost Analysis Improvements – We’ve introduced new features for analyzing Transit Gateway data processing charges using cost allocation tags. This feature provides better visibility and control over network costs and enables organizations to effectively monitor and optimize AWS Transit Gateway usage. Enhanced cost analysis tools provide detailed information on network traffic patterns and associated costs.
More AWS news and highlights
Top DevOps Blog Posts in 2024 – The retrospective blog post “Most Visited DevOps and Developer Productivity Blog Posts in 2024” has reached the #1 position in this week’s AWS Most Popular Articles. This compilation features the most influential DevOps content from 2024, offering insights into trending topics and best practices. The collection explores key developments in continuous integration and continuous development (CI/CD), infrastructure as code (IaC), and automation practices.
New Security Course for Generative AI – AWS Skill Builder has released a new course focused on securing generative AI applications on AWS. This comprehensive training course teaches professionals to implement security best practices for artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) workloads that address data protection, model security, and compliance requirements. The course meets the growing demand for specialist security knowledge in the rapidly developing field of generative artificial intelligence.
Amazon Connect Contact Lenses Free Trials – Introducing free trials for early adopters of Amazon Connect Contact Lenses’ conversational analysis and performance evaluation. New customers can process up to 100,000 voice minutes per month for free for 2 months, and first-time raters receive a 30-day free trial starting with the first rate. Thanks to this initiative, customers can enjoy contact lens features in their environment at no additional cost. Free trials are available in all AWS regions where contact lenses are supported.
See the What’s New with AWS page for a full list of AWS announcements.
Whether you’re a developer, architect, business leader, or just starting your cloud journey—and no matter what 2024 brought you—2025 presents new opportunities for everyone.
This post is part of our Weekly Roundup series. Check back each week for a quick roundup of exciting news and announcements from AWS!
– Betty
