AWS is getting an AI agent marketplace

According to TechCrunch, Amazon Web Services (AWS) is launching an AI agent marketplace next week, with Anthropic confirmed as one of its partners. This development will be officially announced at the AWS Summit in New York City on July 15, according to individuals familiar with the plans. AWS and Anthropic did not provide comments regarding this information.

AI agents are computer programs designed to make decisions and perform tasks autonomously, often interacting with software by leveraging an AI model. While the term “AI agent” can be ambiguous, it generally refers to these independent operational capabilities. AI developers, including OpenAI and Anthropic, view these agents as a significant advancement in technology. A challenge for AI agents has been their distribution, as many companies offer them through isolated channels. AWS’s new marketplace aims to address this by centralizing access.

The dedicated AWS agent marketplace will enable startups to directly offer their AI agents to AWS customers. Enterprise customers will gain the ability to browse, install, and identify AI agents based on their specific requirements from a single platform. This consolidated access is expected to provide a substantial advantage to partners like Anthropic.

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Anthropic, which has received investment from Amazon and is reportedly in discussions for further multi-billion dollar funding, considers AI agents central to the future of artificial intelligence in the coming years. Anthropic develops AI agents internally and provides an API for developers to create their own. The AWS marketplace is anticipated to expand Anthropic’s customer reach, including those who currently utilize AI agents from competitors such as OpenAI. Anthropic’s participation in this marketplace could also encourage more developers to use its API, potentially increasing its revenue. The company reported hitting $3 billion in annualized revenue in late May.

AWS will implement a revenue-sharing model, taking a portion of earnings from agent installations. This share is expected to be minimal, aiming to unlock new revenue streams and attract customers for participating startups. The marketplace structure supports startups in charging customers directly for their agents, similar to how Software as a Service (SaaS) offerings are priced in a marketplace, rather than bundling them into broader services.

Amazon is not the first major technology company to introduce an AI agent marketplace. In April, Google Cloud launched its AI Agent Marketplace for developers and businesses to list, buy, and sell AI agents. Microsoft followed in May with its Agent Store, integrated within Microsoft 365 Copilot. Enterprise software providers, including Salesforce and ServiceNow, also operate their own agent marketplaces.

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