Now Go Build - Season 3

• 500 words

As a technologist, it’s almost second nature to come across new problems and immediately think—how do I combine the right set of tools and technologies to solve this puzzle? It’s exciting to consider how you could use fundamental building blocks like EC2, S3, and Lambda to solve complex problems. But it’s even more amazing to consider the range of problems you can solve using the same blocks. For example, S3 could be the cornerstone of one customer’s data lake and a low-cost archive for another.

The cloud has made it possible for companies of every size to have access to the same powerful tools, while giving them the flexibility to implement those tools however they see fit. Part of my role at AWS has been to travel around the world to speak with pioneering companies and learn how they’ve assembled different technologies to solve their unique challenges.

In 2018, we created the Now Go Build series to shine a spotlight on just a fraction of the fantastic stories I hear about every day. With that in mind, I’m excited to share more stories with the launch of Season 3 of Now Go Build. I encourage everyone to check out the videos as they are released over the next few months, but here is a sneak preview of the first three episodes:

In episode 1 of this new season, we go to Iceland to talk with two innovative companies using AWS to tackle some truly hard human problems—Nanom, a company applying advanced nanotechnology to energy storage, and Kerecis, which uses skin from the abundant Atlantic cod found in Icelandic waters to create fish-skin grafts that help heal wounds. This episode is available to watch today:

In episode 2, we speak with Hawaii-based Terraformation to learn how they are helping to address climate change by accelerating and scaling the restoration of native forests. The idea of massive reforestation may sound straightforward, but beneath the surface, it is a complex geoengineering problem that requires both technological excellence and a deep understanding of the nuances of the natural world. And of course, some interesting use of the cloud.

For episode 3, we travel to Vermont to talk with BETA about their mission to build an electric airplane capable of both vertical takeoff and landing. From studying wind resistance and electric-powered propulsion to the mechanics of actually building the plane and charging infrastructure, it’s amazing to see what BETA has accomplished with the help of AWS.

This season of Now Go Build was a tremendous undertaking, and as of this writing, we’ve already started engaging with the next set of companies for the second half of this season. I’m excited to continue to share these stories with the broader community and look forward to seeing the complex and diverse ways companies are combining technologies to produce unique and novel solutions.

You can go here to see all the Now Go Build episodes we’ve done to date, or re-watch some of your favorites.

Now Go Build!