Maximizing AWS GenAI Funding

AWS is investing heavily in GenAI, and they want you to build on their platform. This means credits, programs, and resources are available—if you know where to look.

Available Programs

AWS Activate

For startups, AWS Activate provides up to $100K in credits. If your GenAI use case is compelling, you might qualify for additional funding through their AI/ML track.

AWS Solution Provider Credits

Partners can access GenAI-specific credits through the solution provider program. These are particularly useful for proof-of-concept work.

AWS GenAI Innovation Center

A newer program providing hands-on support and potentially significant credits for organizations building innovative GenAI solutions.

Maximizing Your Credits

1. Right-Size Your Infrastructure

GenAI workloads can get expensive fast. Before burning through credits:

• Use spot instances for training when possible
• Implement auto-scaling for inference endpoints
• Choose the right instance types for your workload

2. Leverage Managed Services

Services like Amazon Bedrock can be more cost-effective than running your own models. They're also covered by most credit programs.

3. Track Everything

Implement detailed cost allocation tags from day one. Understanding where credits are going helps optimize and justify additional funding.

Building a Compelling Case

When applying for GenAI credits, focus on:

1. Business impact: What problem are you solving?
2. Technical innovation: What's unique about your approach?
3. AWS alignment: How does this showcase AWS capabilities?
4. Scale potential: What's the growth opportunity?

Common Mistakes

• Burning credits on experimentation: Be strategic
• Not tracking usage: You can't optimize what you don't measure
• Ignoring reserved capacity: Commit where you can
• Building custom when managed services exist: Check Bedrock first

Getting Started

1. Talk to your AWS account team about available programs
2. Document your GenAI use case clearly
3. Build a cost model before applying
4. Start small and demonstrate value

AWS wants to see their investment drive innovation. Show them you're a good bet, and the funding will follow.