- AWS launched a new internal organization of forward-deployed engineers (FDEs) to help companies integrate AI, focusing on fast engagements and customer self-sufficiency.
- The FDE model, pioneered by Palantir, involves engineers embedding within client companies to deploy purpose-built agents, allowing tailored solutions and direct response to challenges.
- AWS committed $1 billion in internal resources to the new org, emphasizing that clients gain both AI solutions and lasting engineering capabilities.
- The model's advantages include reusable technology, tailored deployments, and client expertise influx, but it requires maintaining a corps of FDE engineers, making it labor-intensive.
- Other AI labs like OpenAI and Anthropic have also launched FDE joint ventures, valued at $4 billion and $1.5 billion respectively, partnering with private equity firms for capital and client connections.