Amazon.com Inc. reported that its cloud computing division, Amazon Web Services (AWS), saw a record low growth rate of 16% in the first quarter of 2021. The company also warned that growth in the unit had slowed further in April. AWS is the largest seller of rented computing power and software services, competing with rivals such as Microsoft Corp. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google. AWS is less profitable now than it was a year ago, which is partly the result of discounts offered in exchange for longer-term contracts. CEO Andy Jassy also discussed Amazon’s efforts in artificial intelligence.
