Verizon Business, AWS seal fibre deal to accelerate AI applications at scale

Verizon Business has announced a deal with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to provide a high-capacity, low-latency network infrastructure for the next wave of artificial intelligence (AI) innovation.

The deal is part of the Verizon AI Connect initiative launched earlier in 2025, which comprises a strategy and suite of products and solutions designed to manage AI resource-intensive workloads at scale.

Verizon AI Connect comprises a network infrastructure and suite of products designed to enable global enterprises to deploy AI workloads at scale. It is said to bring together and “reimagine” existing assets such as power, space and cooling across telco facilities; Verizon’s One Fiber infrastructure; long-haul, metro and local fibre and optical networks; and the Verizon 5G Network, offering functionality such as network slicing.

Putting the launch into context in January 2025, Verizon Business noted that advanced AI training models require immense computing resources. It also cited a McKinsey study calculating that 60-70% of AI workloads are expected to shift to real-time inference by 2030, creating an urgent need for the kind of low-latency connectivity compute and security at the edge beyond current demand.

The deal with AWS will see Verizon will build long-haul, high-capacity fibre pathways to connect the hyperscaler’s datacentre locations. Doing so, said Verizon, will enable AWS to continue to deliver and scale its secure, reliable and high-performance cloud services for customers building and deploying advanced AI applications at scale.

Verizon already has a long-standing strategic relationship with AWS, with the companies establishing several key engagements, including adoption of AWS as a preferred strategic public cloud provider for its digital transformation initiatives.

Moreover, Verizon stressed that the fibre segments marked a significant commitment to network buildout, to enable the AI ecosystem to intelligently deliver the exponential data growth driven by generative AI.

The collaboration also encompasses joint development of private mobile edge computing services that provide secure, dedicated connectivity for enterprise customers. These existing collaborations are said to have delivered “significant” value across multiple industries, from manufacturing and healthcare to retail and entertainment, by combining Verizon’s network infrastructure with AWS’s cloud services.

Verizon is confident its AI Connect offering will provide AWS with resilient network paths that will enhance the performance and reliability of AI workloads underpinned by its network.

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

Prasad Kalyanaraman, vice-president of AWS Infrastructure Services, added: “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.

“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. This collaboration builds on our long-standing commitment to provide customers with the most secure, powerful and efficient cloud infrastructure available today.”