The last couple months have been difficult for many people, but some of the global pandemic's impacts on technology have reinforced and accelerated Amazon’s vision for the future, said Amazon CTO Werner Vogels.

"If nothing else, these past few months have truly ushered in an era in technology where we are seeing fundamental shifts in how everyone is feeling, not only in technology itself but how to access that technology, as well as how we build that technology," he said today during a keynote at the AWS Summit Online.

In many ways, Vogels added, it has accelerated the path to a world Amazon predicted many years ago. 

Companies are using cloud computing to “find new ways to use technology to make a difference,” he said. These efforts are “increasingly digital and rapidly changing our faith in the powers of builders to create a more vibrant, equitable, and just world.”

Throughout his keynote, Vogels highlighted companies that are using AWS services to improve remote health care, content production, grocery shopping, and equip employees with cloud-based tools to accomplish their work remotely. 

“Every industry has similar people, processes, and workloads that have these types of interdependencies,” he explained. 

“I continue to be inspired by how I’ve seen our customers pivot in response to the recent events in the world and how they’ve used technology to solve human problems,” he said. “While many aspects of daily life has changed drastically in response to these unprecedented times, companies are bringing alternatives to improve processes and make things easier, faster, and safer for communities around the world.

Vogels’ pitch for cloud computing also took on a more urgent tone, particularly as it relates to concepts that AWS aims to adhere to throughout its portfolio of services. Architecting cloud-based offerings properly from the outset is critical, he argued.

“Creating technology solutions is a lot like constructing a physical building. You need a solid foundation. If the foundation is not solid, it will cause structural problems that undermine the integrity and function of the building in the long term,” he said. 

“In the light of current events, not only does this change but in our view it’s more important than ever as we get started to rapidly build solutions and respond to changes of others. We have to focus on these fundamental concepts in order to build stable, secure, efficient systems,” Vogels said. 

“We’re optimistic about the future and the ways in which technology that you will create will help to make it a better world,” he told the AWS Summit Online attendees.