AWS Podcast Episode #729 Summary: Aurora Storage Upgrades, DynamoDB Multi-Region Strong Consistency, and More

Released on July 14, 2025

In Episode #729 of the AWS Podcast, hosted by Simon Elisha alongside co-hosts Gillian Ford and Shruti Kopaka, listeners are treated to a comprehensive overview of the latest updates and innovations from Amazon Web Services. This episode delves into significant enhancements across various AWS services, including databases, analytics, artificial intelligence, application integration, compute, networking, security, and storage. Here's a detailed breakdown of the key topics discussed:

1. Database Enhancements

Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL Storage Expansion

One of the standout updates is the expansion of Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL storage capacity. Aurora now supports up to 256 TB of storage volume, effectively doubling the previous limit of 128 TB.

Simon Elisha [00:44]: "Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL database clusters now support up to 256 TB of storage volume. This doubling of capacity is a direct response to customer needs for larger databases, making what was once unfeasible now entirely manageable."

Cost Efficiency Maintained

Despite the increase in storage capacity, Aurora maintains its cost-efficiency through a pay-as-you-go model, ensuring customers only pay for the storage they use. This is particularly beneficial for organizations with extensive data retention requirements.

DynamoDB Multi-Region Strong Consistency

Furthering database capabilities, DynamoDB has introduced multi-region strong consistency, now generally available. This feature ensures that item changes in a global table replica are synchronously replicated across regions, providing a consistent view of data worldwide.

Gillian Ford [02:16]: "With multi-region strong consistency, DynamoDB removes the traditional trade-off between scalability and consistency, allowing businesses to maintain real-time data accuracy across all regions effortlessly."

Amazon RDS Custom for Oracle Multi-AZ Deployments

Amazon RDS Custom for Oracle now supports multi-Availability Zone (AZ) deployments, enhancing high availability for critical workloads. This ensures synchronous data replication between AZs and automatic failover capabilities in case of primary instance failures.

Integration with Amazon SageMaker

Amazon Aurora MySQL and Amazon RDS for MySQL have been integrated with Amazon SageMaker, facilitating automatic data extraction and loading into lakehouses. This seamless integration supports various analytics engines and machine learning tools, leveraging the compatibility with Apache Iceberg standards.

2. Analytics and Machine Learning Updates

AWS Glue and Apache Spark Enhancements

AWS Glue now offers enhanced Apache Spark capabilities for AWS Lake Formation tables, allowing full table access and enabling data manipulation operations such as create, alter, delete, update, and merge. This grants users greater control over their data workflows.

Amazon SageMaker Innovations

• HyperPod Training Operator: Introduced as a Kubernetes extension, this feature enhances the resilience of SageMaker HyperPod training by enabling surgical recovery of failed training resources without restarting entire jobs. This results in up to 40% reduction in training time.

• AI Recommendations for Custom Assets: Amazon SageMaker Catalog now includes AI-driven recommendations for asset descriptions, reducing manual documentation efforts and improving metadata consistency.

AWS Clean Rooms Enhancements

AWS Clean Rooms has rolled out two major improvements:

• Incremental Training: Allows models to be built upon existing artifacts, enhancing training efficiency.
• Distributed Training: Facilitates model training across multiple compute instances simultaneously, scaling machine learning efforts seamlessly.

3. Application Integration and Development

Amazon EventBridge Updates

• Support for AWS CodeBuild Batch Builds: Enables triggering of batch build processes via EventBridge, streamlining continuous integration workflows.

• AWS Security Incident Response Integration: Enhances the ability to monitor and orchestrate security-related events within incident cases, improving response strategies.

AWS Transfer Family Enhancements

The AWS Transfer family now supports IPv6 endpoints, aligning with the industry's transition towards IPv6 and ensuring broader compatibility and future-proofing of transfer protocols.

Amazon Q Developer Java Upgrade Transformation CLI

The new Java Upgrade Transformation CLI tool is now generally available, allowing developers to perform Java version upgrades at scale. Features include:

• Selective Transformation: Choose specific transformation steps and libraries.
• Comprehensive Upgrade Paths: Supports upgrades from Java versions 8, 11, 17, or 21 to target versions 17 or 21.
• Database Migration Support: Facilitates the conversion of embedded SQL and database migrations from Oracle to PostgreSQL.

4. Compute Advancements

Amazon ECS Optimized Windows Server 2025 AMIs

AWS has released new Amazon Machine Images (AMIs) optimized for Windows Server 2025, available in two versions:

• 2025 Core
• 2025 Full

These AMIs are tailored for Windows container deployments on Amazon ECS, incorporating essential components and optimizations for streamlined containerized workload deployments.

Amazon EC2 C8GN Instances

The Amazon EC2 C8GN instances, powered by the latest Graviton 4 processors, are now generally available. Key features include:

• 30% Improved Compute Performance: Compared to Graviton 3-based C7 GN instances.
• Enhanced Networking: Up to 600 Gbps of network bandwidth, the highest among network-optimized EC2 instances.
• Scalability: Instance sizes up to 40x large, featuring up to 384 GB of memory and 60 Gbps of bandwidth to Amazon Elastic Block Store (EBS).

Simon Elisha [34:49]: "With the introduction of C8GN instances, customers now have access to unparalleled compute, networking, and storage capabilities, making them ideal for demanding workloads like AI inference and data analytics."

5. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Amazon Nova Canvas Updates

• Virtual Try-On and Style Options: Users can now merge images to visualize clothing on shoppers or place furniture in living spaces through intelligent image generation.

• Citations API and PDF Support for Claude Models: Available in Amazon Bedrock, this feature grounds AI responses in source documents, providing detailed references and enhancing the reliability of generated content.

Amazon Bedrock Flows Preview

• Persistent Long-Running Execution: Extends workflow step execution time to 15 minutes.

• Inline Code Support: Simplifies the execution of workflows without the need for external Lambda functions, reducing operational overhead.

Gillian Ford [15:43]: "The preview features in Bedrock Flows address critical pain points, allowing for longer executions and more streamlined workflow management without heavy lifting."

6. Networking and Content Delivery

Amazon CloudFront and Route 53 Enhancements

• HTTPs Resource Recovery Records: Enables DNS services like Amazon Route 53 to provide additional HTTP protocol information, improving connection performance and security.

• Resolver Endpoint Capacity Utilization Metrics: Amazon Route 53 now offers CloudWatch metrics to monitor query capacity for resolver endpoints, ensuring efficient scaling and remediation when approaching service limits.

Quantum Technologies with Amazon Braket

• Dynamic Circuit Capabilities on IQM Garnet: Allows mid-circuit measurements and feedforward operations, essential for advanced quantum algorithms and error mitigation.

7. Security, Identity, and Compliance

Amazon Cognito Enhancements

• AWS Web Application Firewall Support: Cognito Managed Login endpoints can now be protected against malicious requests and web-based attacks through integration with AWS WAF.

AWS WAF and Firewall Manager Updates

• Enhanced Layer 7 DDoS Protection: Introduces an AWS-managed rule group that detects and mitigates DDoS attacks on services like Amazon CloudFront and Application Load Balancer.

• Resource-Level DDoS Protection for ALB: Provides on-host agents to detect and mitigate DDoS attacks swiftly, maintaining service quality for legitimate traffic.

AWS Repost Private Channels

• Targeted Organizational Collaboration: Teams can collaborate on specific topics securely without exposing content to the entire organization. Access is managed through IAM, ensuring controlled knowledge sharing.

Simon Elisha [36:12]: "Security is paramount, and these updates enhance our ability to protect applications and user data effectively, ensuring robust defenses against evolving threats."

8. Storage Innovations

Amazon FSx for OpenZFS Integration with S3 Access Points

Users can now attach Amazon S3 access points to Amazon FSx for OpenZFS file systems, enabling seamless access to file data as if it resides in S3. This integration broadens application compatibility, especially for AI, machine learning, and analytics services.

Amazon S3 Express One Zone Enhancements

• Tagging Support: Allows the addition of tags to S3 directory buckets for better cost allocation and organization via AWS Billing and Cost Management.

• Attribute-Based Access Control: Extends tag-based access controls to new and existing users, roles, and directory buckets, simplifying access governance.

9. Management and Governance

AWS Config and Control Tower Enhancements

• Classification Information from AWS Control Tower Catalog: AWS Config Rules now include mappings to compliance frameworks like CIS V8, FedRamp, and NIST, facilitating easier compliance management.

• AWS Control Tower and Control Catalog APIs via PrivateLink: Enables invoking APIs from within a VPC without traversing the public internet, enhancing security and connectivity.

Amazon CloudWatch and AWS CloudTrail Integration

• Metric Event Logging: Amazon CloudWatch now supports AWS CloudTrail data event logging for APIs such as putMetricData and getMetricStatistics, providing comprehensive visibility into metric activities for security and operational troubleshooting.

10. End User Computing and IoT

Amazon WorkSpaces Personal Updates

• Private Routing via AWS PrivateLink: Enables routing of streaming traffic privately between a VPC and WorkSpaces virtual desktops, ensuring data does not traverse the public internet. This is crucial for organizations with strict compliance requirements.

AWS IoT Device Management Enhancements

• Managed Integrations: The general availability of managed integrations allows for simplified management of IoT device fleets, supporting protocols like Zigbee, Z-Wave, and various Wi-Fi standards. This streamlines device software updates, security patches, and overall device management at scale.

11. Quantum and Specialized Technologies

Amazon Braket Dynamic Circuits

The introduction of dynamic circuit capabilities on IQM Garnet enables advanced quantum operations such as mid-circuit measurements and conditional operators based on measurement outcomes. These features are pivotal for quantum error mitigation and correction, pushing the boundaries of current quantum computing capabilities.

Notable Quotes

• Simon Elisha [00:44]: "The increase to 256 TB in Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL storage is a testament to how AWS continuously evolves to meet the growing demands of our customers."

• Gillian Ford [02:16]: "With multi-region strong consistency, DynamoDB removes the traditional trade-off between scalability and consistency, allowing businesses to maintain real-time data accuracy across all regions effortlessly."

• Simon Elisha [34:49]: "With the introduction of C8GN instances, customers now have access to unparalleled compute, networking, and storage capabilities, making them ideal for demanding workloads like AI inference and data analytics."

• Gillian Ford [15:43]: "The preview features in Bedrock Flows address critical pain points, allowing for longer executions and more streamlined workflow management without heavy lifting."

• Simon Elisha [36:12]: "Security is paramount, and these updates enhance our ability to protect applications and user data effectively, ensuring robust defenses against evolving threats."

Conclusion

Episode #729 of the AWS Podcast delivers a wealth of information on the latest AWS service updates and innovations. From significant storage and database enhancements to advanced artificial intelligence capabilities and robust security improvements, AWS continues to empower developers and IT professionals with tools that foster scalability, efficiency, and security. Whether you're involved in large-scale data management, machine learning, application development, or securing your infrastructure, this episode underscores AWS's commitment to providing comprehensive solutions tailored to evolving technological needs.

For more insights and regular updates, listeners are encouraged to connect with the hosts:

• Shruti Kopaka: LinkedIn | Twitter
• Gillian Ford: LinkedIn
• Simon Elisha: AWS Podcast Feedback

Until next time, keep on building!