Verizon Business and Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced a new network collaboration — Verizon AI Connect — to accelerate AI applications at scale. Under the agreement,

Verizon will construct long-haul fiber routes connecting Amazon Web Services (AWS) data center locations, providing low-latency network paths designed to handle the demands of generative AI workloads.

The fiber buildout will leverage Verizon’s AI Connect network offering that it unveiled earlier this year. That platform uses Verizon’s excess platform capacity to help serve network-intensive workloads.

The AWS deal is targeted at supporting exponential data growth from AI and other real-time cloud workloads while maintaining high reliability and performance. Verizon said the solution will allow AWS customers to scale advanced AI applications more efficiently across industries.

“AI will be essential to the future of business and society, driving innovation that demands a network to match,” Scott Lawrence, SVP and chief product officer at Verizon Business, explained in a statement. “This deal with Amazon demonstrates our continued commitment to meet the growing demands of AI workloads for the businesses and developers building our future.”

The partnership expands Verizon’s relationship with AWS, which already includes using AWS as a preferred public cloud provider for Verizon’s own digital transformation, and a joint development of mobile edge computing (MEC) solutions. These initiatives combine Verizon’s network infrastructure with AWS cloud services to serve sectors such as manufacturing, health care, retail, and entertainment.

"The next wave of innovation will be driven by generative AI, which requires a combination of secure, scalable cloud infrastructure and flexible, high-performance networking," Prasad Kalyanaraman, VP of AWS Infrastructure Services, noted on the Verizon deal. "By working with Verizon, AWS will enable high-performance network connections that ensure customers across every industry can build and deliver compelling, secure, and reliable AI applications at scale."

The new fiber deal comes as part of an industry wide shift toward edge-native, high-capacity networks designed for the next wave of AI applications. It also comes as Verizon’s new CEO wants to lean on AI to drive more efficient business processes.

“We have barely scratched the surface of how AI powered innovation can transform our customer experience,” Verizon CEO Dan Schulman said during the carrier’s earnings call last week. “I intend to use AI as a key tool simplify offers, improve the customer experience, and reduce churn through smart, consistent, and more personalized marketing and offers, and we will leverage AI throughout the company to make it easier for our employees to delight our customers and to dramatically improve service while reducing costs.”

Schulman later said that Verizon will continue to look at ways to monetize its network resources in support of AI traffic demands.

“Clearly, AI infrastructure is booming, and we can be a part of that, and should be a part of that,” Schulman said.