TNB Tech Minute: AWS Unveils AI Agents It Says Can Work for Days at a Time

Summary

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WSJ Tech News Briefing

Episode: TNB Tech Minute: AWS Unveils AI Agents It Says Can Work for Days at a Time
Date: December 2, 2025
Host: Julie Chang

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Episode Overview

This Tech Minute covers major announcements from Amazon Web Services (AWS) about breakthroughs in generative AI, as well as updates on tech regulation in Europe and U.S. government investments in semiconductor manufacturing. The episode’s central theme is the rapid evolution and enterprise adoption of AI—including AWS’s new “AI agents” that promise to work for companies autonomously for extended periods.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. AWS Announces Long-Running Generative AI Agents

• AWS reveals new AI agents: Designed to complete complex tasks autonomously for hours or even days without frequent human intervention.
• According to AWS, these agents are a significant leap from existing generative AI solutions that often stall or ask for help during extended or complex workflows.

Notable Quote:

"This change is going to have as much impact on your business as the Internet or the cloud. I believe that in the future there's going to be billions of agents inside of every company and across every imaginable field."
— Matt Garman, AWS CEO [00:44]

2. AWS Unveils Novaforge

• Private training of foundation models: Companies can now use Novaforge to train proprietary instances of Amazon’s Nov Nova models on their own internal data.
• The goal is to enable highly customized AI that’s secure and fine-tuned for an organization’s specific needs and use cases.

3. Apple Faces Antitrust Lawsuits in the Netherlands

• EU court ruling: The European Union’s top court allows Apple to face antitrust lawsuits in the Netherlands regarding the App Store’s terms and developer fees.
• Case centers on accusations of Apple abusing its dominant market position, hurting both developers and consumers with high fees.

Details:

• Two Dutch foundations filed claims in Amsterdam, focusing on Apple’s control over app distribution and associated costs.
• Apple argued lack of jurisdiction, but the court disagreed, highlighting Apple’s market-specific App Store tailored for Dutch users.

4. U.S. Government Invests in Semiconductor Startup XLite

• Chip innovation drive: The Commerce Department announces a potential $150 million investment in XLite—a U.S. startup aiming to advance EUV (extreme ultraviolet) lithography for semiconductor manufacturing.
• In exchange for the investment, the government would become XLite’s largest shareholder.
• XLite, led by former Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger (now executive chairman), aims to produce its first silicon wafers by 2028.

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:16] Julie Chang introduces major AWS AI updates
• [00:44] Matt Garman’s quote on the sweeping business impact of AI agents
• [00:55] Details on AWS Novaforge service
• [01:10] European Union court allows Dutch lawsuit against Apple
• [01:45] U.S. government's $150 million investment in XLite, new chipmaking startup

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Memorable Moments & Quotes

• Matt Garman, AWS CEO [00:44]:

  "This change is going to have as much impact on your business as the Internet or the cloud. I believe that in the future there's going to be billions of agents inside of every company and across every imaginable field."

• Host Julie Chang on EU Ruling [01:10]:

  "The foundations said that the fees that Apple charges developers for setting up shop on the App Store are unfair and harm consumers. Apple argued that judges in the Netherlands don't have jurisdiction to hear the legal challenge, but the court dismissed that argument..."

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Summary & Takeaway

This episode delivers a rapid-fire overview of the latest in tech:

• AWS is doubling down on durable, proactive AI agents with broad enterprise ambitions.
• Novaforge promises the tools to make these AI solutions company-specific and data-secure.
• European regulators are pushing back on Big Tech's business models, with Apple now facing legal challenges in the Netherlands.
• The U.S. is ramping up efforts to domesticate advanced chip manufacturing with major investments in startups like XLite.

For listeners, it’s a concise look at how AI, regulation, and industrial strategy are colliding to shape the next chapter of the tech landscape.

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Transcript

[A]

Organizations all over the world, from banks to breweries, are creating custom apps and AI agents on the Outsystems platform because Outsystems is all about outcomes, helping teams deploy quickly and deliver results. Build your agentic future with Outsystems.

[B]

Here's your afternoon TNB Tech minute for Tuesday, December 2nd. I'm Julie Chang for the Wall Street Journal. Amazon Web Services has unveiled a host of new tools and features designed to help companies get more value from generative AI. That includes a new category of AI agents that can carry out tasks for hours or days without getting stuck and asking users for help, according to the company. Here's AWS CEO Matt Garman at the cloud giant's annual conference today.

[C]

This change is going to have as much impact on your business as the Internet or the cloud. I believe that in the future there's going to be billions of agents inside of every company and across every imaginable field.

[B]

Aws also shared news on a service called novaforge, which lets companies train private instances of Amazon's Nov Nova models on their own proprietary data. The European Union's top court said that Apple can face antitrust lawsuits in the Netherlands over the terms of its App Store. The ruling comes after two Dutch foundations filed claims against Apple in Amsterdam, alleging that the company abuses its dominant position in app distribution on its own devices. The foundations said that the fees that Apple charges developers for setting up shop on the App Store are unfair and harm consumers. Apple argued that judges in the Netherlands don't have jurisdiction to hear the legal challenge, but the court dismissed that argument, noting in a statement today that Apple has an App Store designed specially for the Dutch market and offers users apps in Dutch. Apple declined to comment and the Trump administration will invest up to $150 million in XLite, a startup trying to develop more advanced semiconductor manufacturing techniques in the U.S. the Commerce Department said yesterday that in return for the investment, the government would get an equity that would likely make it xlight's largest shareholder. X Lite is trying to improve the critical chipmaking process known as extreme ultraviolet lithography. Former Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger is X Lite's executive chairman. The startup is aiming to produce its first silicon wafers by 2028. And that's it for your TNB tech minutes. Check back in the morning for another quick tech update.

[A]

So many organizations choose Outsystems because it's an outstanding way to quickly deploy apps and AI agents and deliver results. A top US bank deployed apps for their customers to easily open new accounts on any device. We helped a leading global insurer quickly deliver a portal and app for their employees, while a global brewer developed an app to automate tasks to clear Bottlenecks. OutSystems the 1 AI powered low code platform.