AWS re:Invent 2023: Our guide to the top sessions and speakers

With such a vast array of sessions and experiences, going to AWS re:Invent can feel like navigating a cloud cosmos. But don’t worry—we've got you covered.

Whether you're a first-timer or a seasoned re:Invent attendee,  these curated recommendations are designed to streamline your journey and elevate your path to becoming a cloud guru. Let's ensure you make the most of every moment at re:Invent 2023!

• Must-see data and AI AWS re:Invent keynotes
  • Data and AI keynote with Swami Sivasubramanian
  • Architecture and AI keynote with Dr. Werner Vogels
• Top cloud breakout sessions on data, AI, and growing at scale
  • Understand your data with business context
  • Scaling on AWS for the first 10 million users
  • Unlocking your full potential with the power of generative AI on AWS
  • Best practices for querying vector data for GenAI apps in PostgreSQL
• AWS workshops & hands-on experiences
  • AWS migration essentials
  • Practical data science with Amazon SageMaker
  • Building event-driven architectures
  • Navigate the storm: Unleashing controlled chaos for resilient systems
  • Use LLMs to analyze data and elevate contact center agents
  • Becoming a 10x developer using Amazon CodeWhisperer
• Hidden gems at AWS re:Invent: Unlocking cloud ROI
  • Effective data monetization strategies
  • Optimizing gaming with ML and real-time personalization
  • Evaluating the cost of infrastructure changes
  • Accelerate troubleshooting with AWS observability
• Level up your cloud mastery

Take advantage of these pivotal keynotes, where industry leaders unveil the latest innovations and set the tone for the event.

As an AWS Machine Learning Hero, I’m literally glued to my seat every year watching the data and AI keynote with Swami Sivasubramanian, Vice President of Data and AI at AWS. The Data and AI product teams never disappoint with new tools that help machine learning practitioners innovate. I’m especially looking forward to the generative AI announcements.

Keynotes by Dr. Werner Vogels never disappoint! He has a way of making them both entertaining and informative. I always have a notepad and pen ready before he takes the stage. This year, I’m excited that he’s going to discuss why artificial intelligence is something every builder must consider when developing systems.

Explore highly recommended breakout sessions across various categories. These sessions are sure to spark innovative ideas!

Dive deep into the art of contextual data understanding—a foundation I'm particularly excited about, as data powers the core of AI and ML systems. This session showcases Amazon DataZone, AWS Glue Data Catalog, and AWS Lake Formation, offering a streamlined approach to centralizing and harnessing your data.

Embarking on application development means envisioning growth. This is a principle I always emphasize because planning for scale from the outset is critical to the long-term success of any system. This session discusses architecting on AWS with rapid expansion in mind, presenting the patterns, techniques, and services that ensure you're growing and scaling with intention and foresight.

Amazon Bedrock's recent launch really excites me, marking a new chapter in generative AI services by AWS. This session unveils the transformative power of generative AI, spotlighting how Amazon SageMaker and Amazon Bedrock allow developers and businesses to amplify their applications, harnessing foundational models for creative breakthroughs and business evolution.

I've been eager to deep-dive into vector databases for my LLM-powered applications, and this session promises to be the upskilling session I need. Dive in with me to harness PostgreSQL's pgvector extension. At the same time, we’ll learn how to optimize storage and master the nuances of SQL queries and tuning for top-tier AI/ML application performance.

Immerse yourself in interactive learning with these handpicked workshops and experiences like bootcamps and labs that promise hands-on learning. Don't forget your laptop, as you’ll be diving deep!

With so many organizations, including some I closely work with, making the shift to the cloud, this bootcamp speaks to me. You’ll dive into the deep details of migrating applications and data to the AWS Cloud using a suite of AWS tools and services. Equipped with hands-on labs, you'll learn and practice real-time migration techniques.

Helping others jumpstart their machine learning journey has always been a passion of mine, and this bootcamp is a great way to start your journey! Step into a day in the life of a data scientist learning to build impactful ML applications using AWS and Amazon SageMaker.

I've always believed that event-driven architectures deserve more of a spotlight, and this workshop affirms that. Explore building event-driven applications using Amazon SNS, SQS, AWS Lambda, and more. It's not just about building but optimizing for cost and performance, too.

Chaos engineering has always intrigued me as an innovative path to fortify system resilience. In this workshop, you'll harness controlled chaos, uncovering potential weaknesses and paving the way for robustness. This is hands-on resilience building in action.

I'm genuinely buzzed about the transformative potential of Large Language Models (LLMs). In this workshop, you'll craft LLMs to elevate Amazon Connect Contact Lens data, helping your agents perform better. This isn't just about guidance—it's about enabling consistency and best practices across all customer engagements.

The concept of a 10x developer has always been a subject of debate! This session piques my curiosity with the promise of CodeWhisperer reshaping that narrative. Learn how the tool can speed up development with intuitive code recommendations. You’ll explore simple tasks and intricate applications and maybe, just maybe, redefine what it means to be a 10x developer. You’ll be coding in real time!

Venture off the beaten path to uncover these underrated sessions bursting with untapped knowledge and insights.

I've always been struck by how many organizations overlook the goldmine of data monetization. This session shines a light on hidden revenue streams within your data. You’ll explore the world of data monetization, uncovering common patterns and the power of transforming data into tangible business value. Ready to turn data insights into dividends? Then dive in!

The fusion of gaming and Generative AI has long been on my radar as the next giant leap forward. This exciting session dives into real-time recommendation engines that enhance gameplay.  Learn how to construct a dynamic pipeline, ingest data, and refine ML models on the fly. With tools like Amazon Kinesis and Amazon Personalize, you’ll reshape the gaming experience.

I've seen it repeatedly: teams diving headfirst into rapid deployment, only to be surprised by unexpected costs. This session introduces the innovative use of GitOps and open-source tools to assess costs before they escalate. Redefine your approach to infrastructure costs and learn how to make solutions that are not just effective but also efficient.

Troubleshooting is an art, and I've always believed there's room to refine our techniques. This session caught my eye because it promises to transform a fragmented landscape into a unified view by consolidating metrics, logs, and traces. Learn how to reduce costs and get to the root of issues faster.

As the curtain falls on AWS re:Invent 2023, the journey to cloud mastery doesn't end—it's only just begun. Harness the learnings and connections you've made, and let Pluralsight be your guide in the ever-evolving world of AWS.

You can sign up for a free trial to take your AWS and cloud skills to the next level. Explore other AWS resources:

• Hands-on labs for learning AWS essentials
• AWS security essentials
• AWS developer essentials

Here's to elevating your skills and soaring to new heights as a cloud guru!