AWS News Feb 16 - Feb 22

This week: EC2 enables nested virtualization on virtual instances for KVM and Hyper-V workloads, Aurora now encrypts all new clusters by default, and new HPC8a instances deliver 40% higher performance for compute-intensive workloads. Plus Bedrock adds reinforcement fine-tuning for open-weight models and ACM shortens certificate validity to 198 days.

Compute

• EC2: Nested virtualization on virtual instances (KVM, Hyper-V)
• EC2 HPC8a: 40% faster, 25% better price-perf vs HPC7a, 192 cores

Database

• Aurora: Encryption by default on new clusters (AWS-owned keys)
• Aurora MySQL 3.12: MySQL 8.0.44 compatibility
• Aurora DSQL: Go/Python/Node.js connectors with auto IAM auth
• Aurora DSQL: Kiro + AI agent skills integration
• DocumentDB 5.0: Long-term support available

Analytics

• OpenSearch: i7i instances, 23% better compute, 10% better price-perf
• OpenSearch: Graviton 4 (C8g/M8g/R8g), 30% faster than G3
• MSK: Dual-stack IPv4/IPv6 on existing clusters
• Clean Rooms: Iceberg catalog federation, no ETL needed

AI/ML

• Bedrock: Reinforcement fine-tuning for Qwen 3 32B, GPT-OSS 20B

Security & Compliance

• ACM: 198-day certs (was 395), price drop to $7/domain
• Managed Grafana: Customer-managed KMS encryption

Healthcare

• HealthImaging: Granular CloudWatch metrics for storage monitoring

Backup & Storage

• AWS Backup: PrivateLink for SAP HANA on EC2

Contact Center

• Connect Cases: Multi-line text fields, Service Quotas integration
• Connect Scheduling: Time-off requests visible in draft schedules

Messaging

• SNS: SMS in AP New Zealand and Taipei regions
• Amazon MQ: ActiveMQ 5.19 support

Database Updates

• RDS Oracle: Jan 2026 RU for 19c/21c, Spatial Patch Bundle

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For detailed show notes check out awsnewsweekly.com