Claude Platform on AWS Has Been Announced, So I Sorted Out How It Differs from Bedrock
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On April 20, Anthropic announced an expanded partnership with Amazon, and in that announcement introduced "Claude Platform on AWS".
The next day, a member of the Anthropic team shared that it is currently in preview.
As of the time of writing this article (4/27), an official AWS page has also been published.
"Claude Platform on AWS" is a new service that lets you use Anthropic's Claude Platform directly from your AWS account. It is currently in preview, and general availability is listed as Coming Soon.
How does it differ from Claude via Bedrock? Which one should you use? I've organized this based on official information.
It's still at the preview stage, but understanding the differences now should speed up decision-making when it reaches GA.
Background of the Announcement
First, let's look at the big picture of this announcement. Claude Platform on AWS is not a standalone announcement, but part of a large-scale expansion of the partnership between Amazon and Anthropic. Here are the key points from Anthropic's official blog.
- Anthropic will invest more than $100 billion in AWS technology over the next 10 years, securing up to 5GW of compute capacity
- Amazon will make an additional $5 billion investment (on top of the existing $8 billion, with up to $20 billion more in the future)
- Claude is described as the only frontier AI model available on all three major clouds (AWS / GCP / Azure)
- More than 100,000 customers are using Claude on Bedrock
- Anthropic's run-rate revenue exceeds $30 billion (up sharply from about $9 billion at the end of 2025)
As part of this expanded partnership, Claude Platform on AWS was announced. In addition to Bedrock, it offers a new way to use Anthropic's platform directly from AWS.
What Is Claude Platform on AWS
Here are the four benefits introduced on the official AWS page.
| Benefit | Details |
|---|---|
| AWS authentication | Access with existing IAM credentials and policies. No separate Anthropic account or API key required |
| Native experience | The same API, features, and console experience as accessing Anthropic directly |
| Unified auditing | Monitor and audit with CloudTrail just like other AWS services |
| Consolidated billing | Integrated into AWS billing. No separate invoices or vendor contracts required |
No separate contract with Anthropic, such as Claude Enterprise, is needed; everything is completed with just an AWS account.
※ At the time of writing (April 2026), it is in preview, and general availability is listed as Coming Soon. Pricing has not been announced either. If you wish to get access, you are directed to contact your account team.
Differences from Bedrock and How to Choose
Now for the main topic. Based on the four benefits in the previous section, let's sort out how it is positioned compared with Bedrock.
The Core Difference
The framework for AWS authentication, billing, and auditing is common to both. The difference lies in the inference infrastructure and the features you can get from it.
| Claude Platform on AWS | Claude on Bedrock | |
|---|---|---|
| Authentication, billing, auditing | AWS (IAM / Billing / CloudTrail) | AWS (IAM / Billing / CloudTrail) |
| Operated by | Anthropic | AWS |
| Data processing | Anthropic infrastructure (outside the AWS boundary) | Within AWS infrastructure |
| Features | Full Anthropic platform experience | AWS managed features (Guardrails, Knowledge Bases, etc.) |
The conceptual data flow is illustrated in the diagram below.
Claude Platform on AWS:
[利用者] → [IAM 認証] → [AWS] → [Anthropic インフラで推論]
↓
[CloudTrail]（監査ログ）
[AWS Billing]（一括請求）
Claude on Bedrock:
[利用者] → [IAM 認証] → [Amazon Bedrock] → [AWS インフラ内で推論]
↓
[CloudTrail / CloudWatch]
[Guardrails / Knowledge Bases / PrivateLink]
Authentication, billing, and auditing use the same AWS framework, but the place where inference is performed differs. The biggest difference from Bedrock is that with Claude Platform on AWS, data passes through Anthropic's infrastructure. For this reason, Bedrock remains the better fit for organizations with strict data residency requirements.
Bedrock Remains a Primary Option
Bedrock continues to evolve as a multi-platform service, and it is not being replaced by the arrival of Claude Platform on AWS.
- Unified use of multiple models (Claude, Nova, Llama, Mistral, DeepSeek, etc.)
- AWS managed features (Guardrails, Knowledge Bases, Agents, PrivateLink, etc.)
- Data residency (data stays within AWS infrastructure)
- Bedrock Mantle has expanded support to OpenAI-compatible and Anthropic-compatible APIs
I have tested Mantle in previous articles.
The Significance of Claude Platform on AWS
For organizations that need only Claude, there is now a new option that provides Anthropic's native experience, latest features, and beta access without going through Bedrock.
The benefits are likely especially large for organizations that currently use the Anthropic API directly. It could serve as a migration path that lets you keep existing code and workflows while consolidating authentication into IAM and billing into AWS. Separate contracts with Anthropic and separate API key management become unnecessary, which simplifies the procurement process.
What Exactly Is the "Native Experience"
The Anthropic blog describes Claude Platform on AWS as offering "more Claude Platform features", so more features than Bedrock are expected to be provided.
Specifically, the following features, which are not currently available on Bedrock, are candidates (these are the features listed as not supported on Bedrock under "Feature availability" in the Anthropic documentation).
- Web Search / Web Fetch, Remote MCP, Memory, Files API
- Claude Managed Agents, Message Batches API, Code Execution
※ Whether these will actually be provided on Claude Platform on AWS awaits an official announcement. If they are, they would be a clear point of differentiation from Bedrock.
Decision Flowchart
Here are the criteria for deciding which to choose.
マルチモデル利用 or AWS マネージド機能が必要？
→ Yes → Bedrock
→ No → データレジデンシー要件が厳格？
→ Yes → Bedrock
→ No → Claude のネイティブ体験・最新機能が欲しい？
→ Yes → Claude Platform on AWS
→ No → Bedrock で十分
If you need any of multi-model use, AWS managed features (Guardrails, etc.), or data residency, Bedrock is the better fit. If you use only Claude and prioritize access to Anthropic's native experience and latest features, Claude Platform on AWS becomes a candidate.
Points to Check at GA
Since many specifications have not been disclosed at the Coming Soon stage, here are the items to check at GA.
- Network path: Is communication over the internet or a dedicated connection within AWS? Will closed-network access like PrivateLink be offered?
- Quotas and throttling: Differences from the TPM / RPM limits on the Bedrock side
- Integration with existing AWS services: Invocation from Step Functions, EventBridge, etc., and how far resource-level control via IAM policies is possible
- Pricing structure: How does it compare with using Claude via Bedrock?
- SLA and support contact: Is escalation during an outage handled by AWS or Anthropic?
The network path and support contact in particular are points that directly affect enterprise adoption decisions. I would like to verify them again at GA.
Summary
Claude Platform on AWS is a new option that lets you use Anthropic's full platform within the AWS framework of authentication, billing, and auditing.
This does not make Bedrock unnecessary. If you need multi-model use, data residency, or AWS managed features, Bedrock remains the best choice. Claude Platform on AWS is positioned as a new option for organizations that need only Claude or that currently use the Anthropic API directly.
Including the Anthropic-compatible endpoint of Bedrock Mantle and the Bedrock support in Codex CLI that I tested in previous articles, the ways to use AI models on AWS are steadily increasing. With more options, it seems important to have criteria for deciding "which one to choose." Much information is still undisclosed, such as the pricing structure, network path, and AWS service integration, so I would like to verify it again at GA.
References
- Claude Platform on AWS (Coming Soon) - AWS
- Anthropic and Amazon expand collaboration for up to 5 gigawatts of new compute - Anthropic
- I Tried Calling Opus 4.7 from LangChain via Bedrock's Anthropic-Compatible Endpoint (Mantle) - DevelopersIO
- I Tried the Amazon Bedrock Support in Codex CLI v0.124.0 - DevelopersIO
