Amazon Expands AI Playbook with STMicrochip Tie-Up and a Publishers’ Content Platform

Amazon is fortifying its AI and cloud strategy on two fronts: hardware provisioning through a deeper chip partnership and the potential creation of a marketplace for publishers to license content to AI developers. The cloud arm AWS has secured strategic access to semiconductors via STMicroelectronics, while discussions are underway about a content marketplace that would directly connect publishers with AI builders, positioning AWS against Microsoft in this space.

Key facts
- AWS obtains rights to up to 24.8 million STMicroelectronics shares through options
- Exercise price: $28.38 per share; seven-year term
- A planned content marketplace would compete with Microsoft’s recently launched offering
- AWS expanded in Q4 with 24% growth, marking the fastest pace in 13 quarters

Chip deal with equity component

AWS broadened its alliance with European chipmaker STMicroelectronics on Monday. The refreshed agreement covers supply of semiconductors used for high-speed data connections and energy management within data centers. A notable element is the inclusion of warrants that would allow AWS to buy STMicroelectronics stock over a seven-year horizon. The issuance is tiered, unlocking in steps based on the volume of STMicro purchases, effectively giving Amazon a potential equity stake in the supplier in addition to its role as a customer.

Following the announcement, STMicroelectronics’ stock moved higher. This arrangement marks at least the second time AWS has taken an equity position in a chipmaker, illustrating how cloud operators are intertwining procurement with investment to shore up critical supply lines for rising demand.

Market positioning: Verlags-Content-Marktplatz in Vorbereitung

Concurrent with the hardware initiative, Amazon has conversations with publishers about a platform that would license their content directly to AI developers. The Information first reported the talks; Reuters later confirmed that AWS had already circulated presentation materials to publishers ahead of an industry event.

The prospective marketplace would place Amazon in direct competition with Microsoft, which last week launched its own Publisher Content Marketplace. Among Microsoft’s listed partners are Associated Press, Condé Nast, Hearst Magazines, Vox Media, and USA Today.

A Amazon spokesperson told TechCrunch that the company maintains long-standing partnerships with publishers but currently had nothing specific to disclose on this topic.

Why publishers are showing interest

Newsroom owners are increasingly drawn to compensation models tied to actual usage by AI systems. The logic is that AI-generated answers can source content directly, reducing visits to the original pages and potentially squeezing advertising revenue for publishers.

An AWS content marketplace could offer publishers fresh revenue streams and, at the same time, establish Amazon as a facilitator for legally vetted training data—an important compliance angle as AI training relies on large, rights-cleared datasets.

Context: AWS growth anchors Amazon’s Q4 narrative

Amazon reported quarterly results on February 5 showing AWS growth of 24%, the strongest acceleration in more than three years. Looking ahead, the company has signaled investments totaling roughly $200 billion in 2026 across all segments.

These initiatives align with Amazon’s broader plan to expand its AI infrastructure by strengthening both the physical hardware backbone and the data ecosystem. The STMicroelectronics partnership aims to secure the infrastructure’s supply chain capacity, while the content marketplace would systematize access to high-quality training data for AI models.

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