Cloud computing firm Amazon Web Services (AWS) is marking its 10th year of operations in the Philippines this April, highlighting a decade of local expansion while outlining plans anchored on artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud modernization.
At a media briefing led by Precious Lim, AWS country manager for the Philippines, the company cited key milestones over the past decade, including the rollout of hybrid infrastructure services such as AWS Local Zones in Manila and the introduction of Amazon Connect, a cloud-based contact center platform.
AWS said it has also trained more than 100,000 Filipinos in cloud-related skills through programs such as AWS Skill Builder, AWS Educate, and AWS Academy, alongside partnerships with academic and government institutions.
Among these collaborations is the AteneoBUILD program with Ateneo de Manila University, as well as initiatives with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) aimed at strengthening vocational and technical training in cloud technologies.
In the public sector, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has used Amazon Connect to support its Minors Traveling Abroad hotline, improving permit tracking and response efficiency, according to AWS.
A central theme of the briefing was the rapid adoption of AI in the Philippines. AWS projects the local AI market to grow by 50% year-on-year, reaching an estimated $3.5 billion by 2030.
Around 80,000 organizations in the country are already using AI tools to improve operations, the company said.
Lim noted a shift in focus from generative AI, which creates content based on prompts, to “agentic AI” — systems designed to reason, make decisions, and perform complex tasks autonomously.
She said the AWS Marketplace is playing a role in this transition by offering AI agents built by technology partners for enterprise deployment.
During the event, Joel Garcia, AWS Asean technology lead for strategic initiatives, cited announcements from AWS re:Invent 2025, including a new class of “Frontier Agents” designed to operate independently.
These include the Kiro Autonomous Agent for software development tasks, the AWS Security Agent for in-workflow security recommendations, and the AWS DevOps Agent for diagnosing operational incidents.
AWS also announced the expansion of Amazon Bedrock, which now supports 18 additional models, including offerings from Mistral AI, Google, Nvidia, and OpenAI.
The company introduced the Amazon Nova 2 model family, which includes Nova Forge for building custom AI models using proprietary data and Nova Act for automating browser-based tasks through natural language commands.
Another update is Bedrock AgentCore, a framework for scaling generative AI workloads, which AWS said has logged more than two million downloads since its preview release.
AWS said it will continue promoting legacy system modernization through its AWS Transform AI service, positioning cloud and AI technologies as central to digital transformation efforts across industries such as banking, education, e-commerce, and telecommunications.
As it enters its second decade in the Philippines, AWS said it is focusing on expanding AI capabilities and deepening collaboration with local institutions and enterprises.
