aws-interconnect

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aws

AWS Weekly Roundup: Claude Opus 4.7 in Amazon Bedrock, AWS Interconnect GA, and more (April 20, 2026) | Amazon Web Services (opens in new tab)

The roundup highlights major AWS advances in AI, networking, developer tooling, and security. Claude Opus 4.7 is now available through Amazon Bedrock with stronger agentic coding and research capabilities, while AWS Interconnect simplifies private connectivity across clouds and remote locations. Additional launches improve container supply-chain security, application modernization, database access, cost attribution, and quantum-resistant encryption. ## Anthropic Claude Opus 4.7 in Amazon Bedrock - Anthropic’s latest Opus model improves: - Agentic coding and long-running tasks - Complex code reasoning - Document creation, financial analysis, and multi-step research - It scores: - 64.3% on SWE-bench Pro - 87.6% on SWE-bench Verified - Bedrock features include: - Dynamic capacity allocation - Adaptive thinking and request-specific token budgets - A 1-million-token context window - High-resolution image support for charts, documents, and screen interfaces - The model launched in US East, Tokyo, Ireland, and Stockholm, supporting up to 10,000 requests per minute per account and Region. ## AWS Interconnect Reaches General Availability - **AWS Interconnect – Multicloud** provides Layer 3 private connectivity between AWS VPCs and other clouds. - Google Cloud is supported initially; Azure and OCI are planned. - Traffic uses private networks and the AWS global backbone rather than the public internet. - Includes MACsec encryption, multi-facility resilience, and CloudWatch monitoring. - The underlying specification is open source under Apache 2.0. - **AWS Interconnect – Last Mile** connects branches, data centers, and remote sites to AWS through network providers. - Automatically provisions four redundant connections across two physical locations. - Configures BGP, MACsec, and Jumbo Frames. - Supports adjustable bandwidth from 1 to 100 Gbps. - Launches in US East with Lumen. ## Developer, Database, and Modernization Updates - Amazon ECR pull-through cache now discovers and synchronizes OCI referrers such as signatures, SBOMs, and attestations. - AWS Transform is available directly in Kiro and VS Code for migrations such as language-version upgrades and AWS SDK updates. - Aurora DSQL’s PHP connector supports IAM authentication, SSL, connection pooling, and optional optimistic-concurrency retries. - AWS Transform Custom can modernize VB6 applications into C# ASP.NET Core applications, including COM, ADO, and UI migration challenges. ## Security, Access Control, and Cost Management - Amazon Q for Google Drive now enforces document-level permissions using indexed ACLs and real-time access checks. - AWS Secrets Manager supports hybrid post-quantum TLS using ML-KEM through updated agents, Lambda extensions, and CSI drivers. - Amazon Bedrock can attribute inference costs to individual IAM principals, with reporting through CUR 2.0 and aggregation by teams, projects, or cost centers. ## Compute, Kubernetes, and Storage - EC2 C8in and C8ib instances use sixth-generation Intel Xeon processors and AWS Nitro cards. - C8in offers up to 600 Gbps networking. - C8ib provides up to 300 Gbps EBS bandwidth. - Both scale to 384 vCPUs. - EKS Auto Mode automates networking components such as VPC CNI, load balancers, and DNS while retaining enterprise security controls. - EBS Volume Clones provide immediately usable point-in-time copies for development, disaster recovery testing, and CI/CD workflows. ## Additional AWS Guidance - CloudFront Functions and CloudFront KeyValueStore can support zero-downtime API decomposition using user-aware routing and the Strangler Fig pattern. - The roundup also points readers to AWS events, weekly Power Hour training, and Community.aws meetups. The most significant developments are Bedrock’s expanded AI capabilities and Interconnect’s managed private networking. Teams should evaluate Claude Opus 4.7 for complex AI workflows, use Interconnect where multicloud or resilient connectivity is required, and consider the new security and cost-attribution features for stronger governance.

aws

AWS Interconnect is now generally available, with a new option to simplify last-mile connectivity | Amazon Web Services (opens in new tab)

AWS Interconnect is a managed service for private, high-speed connectivity between AWS and other clouds or on-premises networks. Its multicloud capability, now generally available, initially connects AWS with Google Cloud while Microsoft Azure support is planned for later in 2026. The service aims to replace complex VPN, colocation, and third-party networking setups with a turnkey, resilient configuration managed through AWS. ## AWS Interconnect Capabilities - **Interconnect – multicloud** connects an AWS VPC privately to VPCs on other cloud providers. - **Interconnect – last mile** simplifies connectivity from branch offices, data centers, and remote sites through existing network providers. - Both capabilities provide: - Dedicated bandwidth - Private connectivity - Managed provisioning - Reduced infrastructure and configuration overhead - Connections can be configured through the AWS Console by selecting the location or provider, AWS Region, and bandwidth. ## Multicloud Connectivity - The service provides a managed **Layer 3 connection** between AWS and another cloud provider. - Traffic uses the AWS global backbone and the partner’s private network rather than the public internet. - This improves: - Latency predictability - Throughput consistency - Isolation from internet congestion - Google Cloud is supported at launch; Microsoft Azure is expected later in 2026. ## Security, Resilience, and Monitoring - Physical links between AWS and partner routers use **IEEE 802.1AE MACsec encryption** by default. - Each cloud provider handles encryption on its own backbone, so customers must verify that the resulting deployment satisfies compliance requirements. - Connections use multiple logical links across at least two physical facilities to protect against device or facility failures. - Amazon CloudWatch integration includes: - A Network Synthetic Monitor for round-trip latency and packet loss - Bandwidth utilization metrics for capacity planning ## Open Partner Specification - AWS has published the underlying Interconnect specification on GitHub under the **Apache 2.0 license**. - Other cloud providers can become partners by implementing the specification and meeting AWS requirements for: - Resiliency - Support - Service-level agreements - Operational readiness ## Provisioning an AWS–Google Cloud Connection - The demonstration connects a single AWS VPC to a Google Cloud VPC using a Direct Connect Gateway. - In the AWS Direct Connect console, the user: - Selects Google Cloud as the provider - Chooses AWS Region `eu-central-1` - Chooses Google Cloud Region `europe-west3` - Specifies bandwidth - Selects a Direct Connect Gateway - Enters the Google Cloud project ID - AWS then generates an activation key for use on the Google Cloud side. ## Configuring Google Cloud - Because a Google Cloud web console option was unavailable at the time, the example uses the `gcloud` CLI. - The user creates a transport resource with: - The AWS activation key - The Google Cloud region - The target VPC network - Advertised AWS routes - After the transport reaches the appropriate state, the user creates a VPC peering connection between the Google Cloud VPC and the generated transport network. - Custom routes are imported and exported through the peering configuration. ## Completing the AWS Configuration - Once the Google Cloud transport and peering are configured: - The AWS Interconnect status can be checked in the Interconnect console. - The Direct Connect Gateway shows the new attachment. - The final AWS-side step is associating the gateway with the appropriate Virtual Private Gateway. - The Virtual Private Gateway must be in the same AWS Region as the Interconnect. - AWS routing still requires a final route entry so workloads can reach the remote Google Cloud network. AWS Interconnect is best suited to organizations operating hybrid or multicloud environments that want private, resilient connectivity without managing physical links or complex third-party networking. The managed provisioning process can reduce setup time to minutes, but teams should still validate routing, encryption responsibilities, regional constraints, and compliance requirements.