AWS lets new users enter SageMaker Studio with a social login
New Amazon SageMaker AI customers can now sign up for AWS with an existing Google, GitHub, Apple or Amazon account, or an email address, and land in a configured SageMaker Studio environment in a few steps. According to AWS, most customers no longer need to enter a credit card or set up an advanced AWS account.
- New AWS customers can sign up with Google, GitHub, Apple, Amazon or email in 2, 3 steps.
- Most customers need no credit card or advanced AWS account setup, according to AWS.
- SageMaker Studio is created automatically in about 20 seconds.
- New customers get $100 in Free Tier credits, with a chance to earn another $100, valid for up to 6 months.
- The new flow applies only to new AWS accounts.
Sign-up in two to three steps
SageMaker Studio is now integrated with the updated AWS sign-in and sign-up experience. AWS says new customers can create an account in 2, 3 steps using an identity they already have, without verifying a phone number or entering a credit card (for most customers).
After sign-up, SageMaker AI automatically creates the Studio environment in about 20 seconds. Users then arrive on the page that matches where they started. If someone picked a model on Hugging Face and chose Deploy on SageMaker AI, Studio opens the Deployment page with the model pre-configured for endpoint creation.
AWS describes the account creation process as the last major hurdle. Previously, new customers had to verify an email address, enter contact information, verify a phone number, provide payment details and select a support plan before building anything. AWS says that was a significant barrier for individual developers and small startup teams.
Free Tier credits and spending limits
New customers receive $100 in AWS Free Tier credits that work across SageMaker AI, including endpoint deployments, model customization, Studio notebooks and model training. They can also earn an additional $100 worth of credits, which brings the total to up to $200.
Credits are applied automatically, and users get an email notification as they approach their limit. The Free Tier period ends after 6 months or when all credits are used, whichever comes first. At that point, resource usage stops automatically, so AWS says users won't face unexpected charges. Upgrading to a paid plan is possible at any time by adding payment details.
Built on earlier launches
The new flow includes improvements AWS shipped before. Earlier this year, the company cut Studio environment creation time from 2 minutes to about 20 seconds and pre-configured model customization permissions in every new Studio domain. It also introduced deep links from Hugging Face model pages into SageMaker Studio workflows.
Environments created through the new sign-in have permissions for model customization, training, evaluation and deployment already set, so users do not need to create AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) roles. Eligible accounts get default access to G5, G6 and G4dn GPU instances for endpoints, training jobs and Studio notebooks. The instance selection menu in Studio also shows quota availability, so users can see which instance types they can use.
How to try it and who it affects
Users can start from Hugging Face by choosing Deploy, selecting Amazon SageMaker AI, and then picking Customize on SageMaker AI or Deploy on SageMaker AI on a supported model. Alternatively, they can visit the Amazon SageMaker Studio page and choose Get started with Amazon SageMaker AI, then sign in with Google, GitHub, Apple, Amazon or an email address.
The change applies only to new AWS accounts. People who already have an AWS account see no difference in how they sign in.
For individual developers and startup teams, AWS says the combined changes mean they can go from finding a model to customizing or deploying it in minutes, using an identity they already have.