Skip to content
By using AWS re:Post, you agree to the AWS re:Post Terms of Use
AWS re:Postre:Post
About re:Post

Gatekeeping UK Access to Latest AI Models

0

Hi,

We have been running several POCs for intelligent document pipelines using AWS Bedrock, specifically the Claude models. The results have been excellent, and we are close to moving this into pilot and subsequently production.

One concerning theme has emerged, not just with AWS but with other major cloud providers as well: the UK region is not receiving the same access to leading models as other regions. This means that we as a business, and indeed the country as a whole, do not have access to the same level of "digital workforce" that other countries enjoy, thereby putting us at a competitive disadvantage in automating routine tasks which will ultimately slow our national progress.

To illustrate this, we currently only have access to Claude 3 series on AWS Bedrock, yet we pay the same price that other customers pay for Claude 3.5. The OCR capabilities of this multimodal model are significantly inferior, particularly when compared directly with the OCR capabilities of Claude 3.5 Sonnet. To achieve comparable results, we are forced to implement workarounds and utilise additional services such as Textract, which increases both cost and processing complexity. We have been pressing AWS for over six months regarding UK region access to the better models, but consistently receive the same response—that it is not yet in the roadmap.

My question is: how much longer will this disparity in access persist, and what steps is AWS taking to bridge this gap? While other cloud platforms face similar issues, eventually one will provide UK access to the latest models and inevitably draw customers away from AWS.

Thanks, Joe

Topics
Machine Learning & AIGenerative AI on AWS
Tags
Amazon Bedrock
Language
English

asked 2 years ago264 views

1 Answer
0

I apologize, but I don't have specific information about AWS's plans for expanding access to the latest Claude models in the UK region. Based on the available information, Claude 3.5 Sonnet is currently available in select regions including US East (N. Virginia), US West (Oregon), Europe (Frankfurt), Asia Pacific (Tokyo), and Asia Pacific (Singapore). However, there is no mention of availability or specific plans for the UK region.

It's understandable that this situation is causing challenges for your business, especially given the superior capabilities of Claude 3.5 Sonnet, particularly in areas like OCR. The need to implement workarounds and use additional services like Textract does indeed increase costs and complexity.

Unfortunately, I don't have insight into AWS's internal roadmap or decision-making process regarding regional availability of AI models. Cloud providers often phase rollouts of new services and capabilities across regions, but the specific timelines and reasons can vary.

What I can suggest is to continue engaging with your AWS account team or support channels to express your business needs and the impact of this limitation. Sometimes, strong customer demand can influence prioritization. You might also consider exploring if there are any regulatory or technical constraints specific to the UK that AWS needs to address before making these models available.

In the meantime, it may be worth evaluating if there are any alternative solutions or architectures that could help mitigate the impact on your operations, even if they're not ideal long-term solutions. Keeping an eye on announcements from AWS and other cloud providers about UK availability of advanced AI models would also be prudent.
Sources
Anthropic's Claude 3.5 Sonnet model now available in Amazon Bedrock - AWS
Claude 3.5 Sonnet and Claude 3 Haiku now available in more regions - AWS

answered 2 years ago

You are not logged in. Log in to post an answer.

A good answer clearly answers the question and provides constructive feedback and encourages professional growth in the question asker.

Relevant content