AWS introduces new agentic AI categories for AI Competency partners

AWS has announced three new categories for AWS Partners in the AWS AI Competency (previously AWS Generative AI Competency): Agentic AI Applications, Agentic AI Tools, and Agentic AI Consulting Services.

These categories recognise software and services partners with deep expertise in developing and implementing enterprise-grade AI solutions.

The Agentic AI Applications category is for partners who develop autonomous AI solutions that perceive environments, reason over complex goals, and execute purposeful actions with minimal human intervention.

These applications orchestrate sophisticated workflows, maintain extended contextual awareness, and collaborate across multiple platforms while ensuring compliance with enterprise governance requirements.

The Agentic AI Tools category is for partners who create platforms, frameworks, and development tools enabling organisations to build, deploy, and manage agentic AI systems efficiently.

Tools range from low-code solutions that accelerate development to sophisticated custom implementations supporting diverse regulatory environments and enterprise requirements.

The Agentic AI Consulting Services category is for partners who provide strategic guidance, implementation expertise, and ongoing support for agentic AI initiatives, helping organisations navigate deployment complexity while ensuring business alignment, governance requirements, and sustainable competitive advantages.

New benefits for AI Competency Partners

AWS is also increasing its investment in AI Partners’ success through two key initiatives.

In 2026, the company is offering an additional US$25K in Marketing Development Funds (MDF) for achieving validation in any of the Agentic categories, in addition to the US$50K in MDF that Partners receive for the AI Specialisation.

To accelerate the path to the AI Specialisation, AWS has also launched an agentic review process that provides real-time guidance and automated validation, cutting the application processing time by up to 70%.

The AWS AI Competency represents the highest level of validation for partners working with autonomous AI systems. Partners undergo rigorous technical assessment and must demonstrate successful customer implementations that align with AWS’ commitment to responsible AI development.

With 60 launch partners, this marks the largest AWS Specialisation launch to date:

“Our data shows that customers working with AI Competency Partners are implementing production solutions 25% faster—a clear signal that validated expertise accelerates transformation,” said Ruba Borno, VP of global specialists and partners at AWS.

“This expansion to include Agentic AI categories reinforces our commitment to help customers move from experimentation to production-grade autonomous systems that can perceive, reason, and act independently.

"This isn’t just about technology validation; it’s about connecting customers with Partners who have proven they can deliver responsible, scalable AI solutions that drive measurable business value.”

Jason Pollock travelled to AWS re:Invent 2025 as a guest of AWS.