In Season 5, Episode 8, Karl and Jon are joined by Jack McGuire*, an AWS Community Builder and software engineer at Green Man Gaming. They discuss how Amazon RDS now supports backup configuration when restoring snapshots, default encryption at rest for new Amazon Aurora clusters, AWS’s plans for space-based data centers and satellite constellations, Amazon’s Leo (formerly Project Kuiper) satellite internet service, and Amazon’s $200 billion Capex plan for AI data center buildouts, before the conversation once again turns to plumbing hacks.

04:27 - Amazon RDS backup configuration

This minor feature update allows users to change certain backup parameters when restoring RDS and Aurora snapshots, rather than having to modify them after restoration. While a small quality-of-life improvement, it's mainly beneficial for those managing instances through the console.

08:19 - Default encryption for Amazon Aurora

Amazon Aurora clusters now have encryption enabled by default, following the trend of other AWS services. This change simplifies security best practices and eliminates the need for manual encryption setup, particularly beneficial for new deployments.

14:10 - AWS space-based data centers

StarCloud is planning to launch satellites with AWS Outposts hardware, aiming to enable high-performance computing in space. The company intends to deploy up to 88,000 satellites, raising questions about the practicality and purpose of such a massive space-based infrastructure.

23:40 - Amazon Leo satellite internet

Amazon's low Earth orbit satellite internet service (formerly Project Kuiper) hints at opening its technology to third-party antennas. This approach differs from competitors like Starlink, potentially allowing for a more open ecosystem and wider adoption, especially in developing countries or remote areas.

34:51 - Amazon's $200 billion Capex plan

Amazon announced a significant investment in AI data center buildouts. While the scale of investment raised concerns, industry analyst Corey Quinn suggests that Amazon can likely handle potential market fluctuations better than smaller competitors due to its size and resources.

*More about our guest Jack McGuire:

https://linkedin.com/in/jackmcguire1994 https://builder.aws.com/community/@jackmcguire https://jackmcguire1.github.io/ https://github.com/jackmcguire1 https://dev.to/jackmcguire1 https://devpost.com/jackmcguire1 Twitch Extension - Stat-Milestones https://stat-milestones.dev/ https://dashboard.twitch.tv/extensions/e93cf8730nd11z7gepkly2gry5kv8k

Season 5, Episode 8: Space, Satellites, and Spreadsheets