Amazon sees better-than-expected first-quarter results thanks to the cloud

Amazon delivered better-than-expected results in the first quarter of 2025, driven by the momentum of cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI).

Net income soared 64% year-over-year to $17.1 billion, according to a statement released Thursday.

Per share, the most closely watched figure on Wall Street, stood at $1.59, better than the $1.37 expected by analysts.

The Seattle group's growth is driven by the cloud (+17%), whose growth rate was lower than the previous three quarters (+19% each time), but identical to the same period last year.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) , the world's leading remote computing company, now accounts for nearly 19% of the company's revenue, a business whose activity has long focused solely on online commerce.

Overall, revenue reached $155.7 billion, up 8.6% from the first quarter of 2024.

Amazon's historical activities are experiencing a slowdown, especially outside the United States (+5% compared to +9% for the whole of 2024).

For the second quarter, the e-commerce giant forecasts sales of between $159 billion and $164 billion, slightly above Wall Street estimates.

However, it only expects operating profit of between $13 billion and $17.5 billion, compared to the $17.6 billion analysts had forecast.

The New York Stock Exchange reacted poorly to these forecasts, and in after-hours electronic trading, the stock price fell by almost 5%.

"We're excited about the start of 2025, especially with our pace of innovation and progress in continuing to improve the customer experience," said CEO Andy Jassy. He highlighted new AI offerings, including the next-generation Alexa+ virtual assistant.

Amazon announced the launch of several AI initiatives during the quarter, including Amazon Nova generative AI models, while expanding its Project Kuiper satellite network to compete with Elon Musk's Starlink.

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