A year after it dismissed using blockchain technology, Amazon is rolling out its very own blockchain service.
According to a press release, Amazon Web Services has officially opened Amazon Managed Blockchain to the general public. The fully-managed service – which “makes it easy to create and manage scalable blockchain networks” – is immediately available in U.S. East and will expand to other regions throughout the year.
“Customers want to use blockchain frameworks like Hyperledger Fabric and Ethereum to create blockchain networks so they can conduct business quickly, with an immutable record of transactions, but without the need for a centralized authority. However, they find these frameworks difficult to install, configure, and manage,” said Rahul Pathak, General Manager, Amazon Managed Blockchain at AWS. “Amazon Managed Blockchain takes care of provisioning nodes, setting up the network, managing certificates and security, and scaling the network. Customers can now get a functioning blockchain network set up quickly and easily, so they can focus on application development instead of keeping a blockchain network up and running.”
The service has so far attracted companies like AT&T Business, Singapore’s SGX, Accenture, and Nestle, with Armin Nehzat, Digital Technology Manager at Nestlé Oceania, saying “with Amazon Managed Blockchain, we are able to set up our Hyperledger Fabric network and easily invite our partners to collaborate in our supply chain transparency efforts. Amazon Managed Blockchain will enable our customers to track their products on the blockchain from the farm all the way through to consumption.”
As The Block Crypto notes however, Amazon is entering an arena with fierce competition. Microsoft Azure and Oracle have already launched their own blockchain services, while over in the Middle Kingdom, Alibaba, Baidu, and Huawei are all eyeing the same market.
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