Amazon launched Amazon Web Services in 2006, helping build its cloud-computing business.
AWS introduced infrastructure services that let customers rent computing power, storage, and other technical resources over the internet. Amazon launched Simple Storage Service and Elastic Compute Cloud in 2006, giving developers tools that could scale without buying all the underlying hardware.
The service grew from capabilities Amazon had developed for its own retail operations. It became a major business serving startups, governments, universities, and large corporations, and it helped establish cloud infrastructure as a standard way to run software.
Amazon’s retail operations remain highly visible, but AWS has been strategically important because cloud services can produce different revenue and profit patterns. The company’s market value reflects expectations across both commerce and cloud computing.