# All Things Distributed Werner Vogels on building scalable and robust distributed systems This is one page of public article previews, not the complete archive. Follow Next page to continue. Summaries are not the original full articles. ## The oldest architecture in computing DevFeed: [The oldest architecture in computing]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: werner@allthingsdistributed.com (Dr. Werner Vogels) Published: 2026-09-08T14:00:00Z Content type: opinion Language: en Sources: [All Things Distributed]() Topics: [Kiro](), [Artificial Intelligence](), [GPU](), [Open Source]() Tags: [agents](), [ai](), [gpu](), [kiro](), [memory](), [open-source](), [posts](), [research]() ### AI overview The article argues that AI may automate some work and change job roles, but people can remain relevant by adapting and learning to use new tools. It describes Kiro Crew, an open-source agent workspace used for research, schedule monitoring, cron-job management, and meeting preparation, with particular attention to how its independent agents manage memory and improve over time. The discussion connects these ideas to biological intelligence, including the energy efficiency of the human brain compared with a GPU and research on cortical columns. ### Source excerpt A GPU burns 700 watts and hundreds of thousands of tries to learn Pong. A human brain does it on 20 watts in a handful of attempts. So what can the oldest architecture in computing teach us about where agents and memory are headed? ## DuckDB and the changing physics of analytics DevFeed: [DuckDB and the changing physics of analytics]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: werner@allthingsdistributed.com (Dr. Werner Vogels) Published: 2026-08-26T14:00:00Z Content type: opinion Language: en Sources: [All Things Distributed]() Topics: [DuckDB](), [data](), [Databases](), [Amazon S3](), [Amazon Web Services](), [Computer science]() Tags: [analytics](), [aws](), [data](), [databases](), [duckdb](), [posts](), [s3](), [software](), [systems]() ### AI overview The article describes how changing relative costs for compute, memory, and networking are enabling more data processing to remain within applications. It presents DuckDB as a database supporting this shift and discusses its relationship to AWS data offerings, including S3 Files, S3 Tables, and S3 Vectors, alongside DuckLabs joining AWS. ### Source excerpt In this post, Andy Warfield explains how databases like DuckDB are enabling a new way to build with data, why they matter right now, and how they complement the work we've been doing in S3 (e.g., S3 Files, S3 Tables, S3 Vectors). And most importantly, why DuckLabs, the team behind DuckDB, is joining AWS ## On building scalable control planes DevFeed: [On building scalable control planes]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: werner@allthingsdistributed.com (Dr. Werner Vogels) Published: 2026-08-04T14:00:00Z Content type: article Language: en Sources: [All Things Distributed]() Topics: [distributed-systems](), [Amazon Web Services](), [Amazon EC2](), [DSQL](), [Cloud]() Tags: [aws](), [cloud](), [distributed-systems](), [dsql](), [infrastructure](), [kubernetes](), [posts](), [servers](), [ssh]() ### AI overview This article explores the engineering of scalable control planes through Zak van der Merwe's experience building them at AWS, first for EC2 and later for DSQL. It explains how control planes record intended state and reconcile it with actual state, bringing together difficult distributed-systems problems and influencing whether services can survive growth. ### Source excerpt Zak van der Merwe has spent his entire career at AWS building control planes. First for EC2 and now for DSQL. On the surface, the control plane looks quite boring: it records what should exist and reconciles that with what actually does. Nobody leaves school dreaming of building one, but Zak will be the first to tell you that if you like solving hard problems in distributed systems, there are few better places to be. It's where many of those hard problems converge, and where the decisions you make determine whether a service survives its own growth. ## Now Go Build CTO Fellowship: Season 2 DevFeed: [Now Go Build CTO Fellowship: Season 2]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: werner@allthingsdistributed.com (Dr. Werner Vogels) Published: 2026-07-08T09:00:00Z Content type: release Language: en Sources: [All Things Distributed]() Topics: [Resilience](), [Security](), [Open Source](), [Artificial Intelligence]() Tags: [amazon](), [building](), [digital](), [open-source](), [posts](), [resilience](), [security](), [series](), [technology]() ### AI overview Amazon is releasing the second season of the Now Go Build CTO Fellowship documentary series. The five-episode season features technology leaders building projects addressing healthcare, education, food security, and other social challenges. ### Source excerpt Today, we're releasing the second season of the Now Go Build documentary series. Five episodes featuring technology leaders from around the world solving the hardest problems in healthcare and education. ## A return to two-pizza culture DevFeed: [A return to two-pizza culture]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: werner@allthingsdistributed.com (Dr. Werner Vogels) Published: 2026-06-30T14:00:00Z Content type: article Language: en Sources: [All Things Distributed]() Topics: [amazon](), [Code]() Tags: [amazon](), [organizational](), [posts](), [process](), [product](), [writing]() ### AI overview The article revisits Amazon's two-pizza team model, emphasizing small autonomous teams, end-to-end ownership, rapid reversible decisions, experimentation, and customer-focused product development through the Working Backwards process. It also explains how organizational growth, service dependencies, and approval cycles can reduce delivery speed. ### Source excerpt What made the Quick desktop team successful is the same thing that has always produced the best work I've seen at Amazon: a small group of people who trusted each other, owned the problem end-to-end, and acted on their conviction. ## The invisible engineering behind Lambda's network DevFeed: [The invisible engineering behind Lambda's network]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: werner@allthingsdistributed.com (Dr. Werner Vogels) Published: 2026-04-22T14:00:00Z Content type: article Language: en Sources: [All Things Distributed]() Topics: [flat network topology](), [networking](), [Serverless](), [Latency](), [Cloud](), [Amazon Web Services](), [systems](), [Routing (disambiguation)](), [data]() Tags: [aws](), [blog](), [blog-post](), [cloud](), [devices](), [engineering](), [infrastructure](), [kernel](), [latency](), [network](), [networking](), [posts](), [routing](), [scale](), [serverless](), [systems]() ### AI overview This article explains how AWS Lambda's networking team redesigned underlying network infrastructure over years to support latency-sensitive workloads in serverless functions. It introduces network topology and highlights optimizations involving iptables, kernel contention, packet headers, virtual devices, tunnels, routing rules, and packet filters. ### Source excerpt The subtle inventiveness that reduced cold start setup from seconds to 200μs. ## S3 Files and the changing face of S3 DevFeed: [S3 Files and the changing face of S3]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: werner@allthingsdistributed.com (Dr. Werner Vogels) Published: 2026-04-07T14:00:00Z Content type: article Language: en Sources: [All Things Distributed]() Topics: [Amazon S3](), [data](), [datasets](), [systems](), [Cloud](), [amazon]() Tags: [amazon](), [blog](), [cloud](), [data](), [post](), [posts](), [s3](), [systems]() ### AI overview An article about S3 Files and the changing role of S3, framed around the difficulties of moving and managing large datasets. It describes data friction experienced in genomics research and introduces S3 Files as a solution developed by Andy Warfield's team. ### Source excerpt Andy Warfield writes about the hard-won lessons dealing with data friction that lead to S3 Files ## A chat with Byron Cook on automated reasoning and trust in AI systems DevFeed: [A chat with Byron Cook on automated reasoning and trust in AI systems]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: werner@allthingsdistributed.com (Dr. Werner Vogels) Published: 2026-02-17T14:00:00Z Content type: article Language: en Sources: [All Things Distributed]() Topics: [Automated reasoning](), [Artificial Intelligence](), [AI Agent](), [Lean](), [large-language-models](), [Authorization](), [Architecture & Design]() Tags: [agentic-ai](), [ai](), [ai-agent](), [authorization](), [automated-reasoning](), [cryptographic](), [deployment](), [financial](), [generate](), [language-models](), [large-language-models](), [neural-networks](), [posts](), [reasoning](), [regulatory](), [safety](), [security](), [security-vulnerabilities]() ### AI overview An interview with Byron Cook examines how automated reasoning can establish trust in AI systems. It discusses applying formal verification techniques to agentic systems, generated code, authorization, cryptographic implementations, and virtualization, with neurosymbolic AI presented as a way to combine neural networks with mathematically rigorous symbolic procedures. ### Source excerpt Over the past decade, Byron's team has proven the correctness of our authorization engine, our cryptographic implementations, and our virtualization layer. Now they're taking those same techniques and applying them to agentic systems. ## Education is not one-size-fits-all for the latest CTO Fellows DevFeed: [Education is not one-size-fits-all for the latest CTO Fellows]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: werner@allthingsdistributed.com (Dr. Werner Vogels) Published: 2026-01-27T14:00:00Z Content type: article Language: en Sources: [All Things Distributed]() Topics: [Learning](), [Generative AI]() Tags: [careers](), [education](), [generative-ai](), [india](), [posts](), [technology]() ### AI overview The article introduces the latest cohort of Now Go Build CTO Fellows, whose work focuses on using technology to address varied educational needs. The fellows support refugee reskilling, use generative AI to create multilingual learning materials for health workers, and develop education initiatives for rural communities with limited connectivity and access to teachers. ### Source excerpt Today, I'm honored to introduce you to the latest cohort of Now Go Build CTO Fellows. Individuals from around the world with diverse backgrounds (engineering, the humanities, business, healthcare, entrepreneurship, law) that have found their calling at the intersection of technology and education. ## A little bit uncomfortable DevFeed: [A little bit uncomfortable]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: werner@allthingsdistributed.com (Dr. Werner Vogels) Published: 2025-12-16T12:30:00Z Content type: opinion Language: en Sources: [All Things Distributed]() Topics: [vulnerability](), [Computer science](), [Operating system](), [distributed-systems]() Tags: [article](), [posts](), [research](), [systems](), [vulnerability]() ### AI overview The article reflects on public-speaking anxiety and argues that discomfort and fear can signal meaningful growth. It recounts a difficult early research presentation, where criticism from the authors of Plan 9 left the writer shaken, while encouraging readers to pay attention to what currently makes them uncomfortable. ### Source excerpt Fear is actually a pretty good signal that you are pushing into the unknown, that real growth doesn't happen without a bit of that associated discomfort, and that it's worth becoming aware when it happens. Aware enough to consider actually leaning into it.