AWS Certification Changes 2026: AI Is Coming to the Solutions Architect Professional and Developer Associate Exams

AWS certification candidates have two important dates approaching: October 27 and November 16.

On October 27, registration opens for the updated AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional (SAP-C03) and AWS Certified Developer – Associate (DVA-C03) exams. Then, on November 16, candidates get their final opportunity to sit for the current SAP-C02 exam before SAP-C03 begins on November 17. The Developer Associate transition follows shortly afterward, with DVA-C03 arriving in December. Amazon Web Services, Inc.

But the more interesting story isn't the dates.

It's what AWS has decided a modern cloud professional needs to know.

AI is moving into mainstream cloud certification

The SAP-C03 update adds substantial coverage of generative and agentic AI.

AWS says the revised professional-level architecture exam will include skills involving generative-AI integration, Amazon Bedrock, RAG architectures, AI agents, guardrails and human monitoring. The revision also adds or expands areas including resilience engineering, DevSecOps, observability, cloud-native architectures and post-quantum cryptography.

If you're new to these topics, proceed by reviewing AWS's official documentation for products like Amazon Bedrock or explore their whitepapers on generative AI and agentic solutions. Introductory resources on AI fundamentals, such as those available in AWS Skill Builder or free industry blogs, can help you build a foundation. For newer areas like RAG architectures and post-quantum cryptography, look for short explainer articles or introductory videos to gain an initial understanding before investigating more into technical learning.

That makes SAP-C03 more than an updated list of AWS services.

It shows a shift in the job AWS believes cloud architects do.

AWS describes today's architects as professionals who increasingly have to integrate AI architectures as still making decisions about security, cost, resilience, compliance, and operations. Amazon Web Services, Inc.

Developers are seeing the same shift.

For DVA-C03, AWS says AI-assisted development is becoming part of the core skill set. The updated exam incorporates AI-assisted coding across several domains. It introduces AI security concepts including access controls, data privacy, content filtering, prompt-injection defenses, and controls around AI-agent interactions. Amazon Web Services, Inc.

In other words, AWS isn't treating AI as knowledge reserved only for an AI-specific certification.

It's putting AI inside the certifications for people building and designing cloud systems.

SAP-C02 or SAP-C03?

For candidates already preparing for Solutions Architect Professional, AWS offers fairly simple guidance.

If you're prepared and want to earn the certification now, AWS says you can take SAP-C02 before the transition. The credential you earn remains valid through its normal expiration date.

If you want the exam itself to validate newer cloud-native, generative-AI, agentic-AI, and dependability skills, AWS suggests waiting for SAP-C03. Amazon Web Services, Inc.

The timeline is:

October 27: SAP-C03 registration opens.

November 16: Final day to take SAP-C02.

November 17: SAP-C03 begins.

The new exam remains 180 minutes with 75 questions and a $300 USD exam price. Amazon Web Services, Inc.

AWS says the detailed exam guide will become available when registration opens on October 27. On that day, AWS will release official exam guides and preparation materials for the updated certifications on its certification site, so candidates need to visit the official AWS Certification website to access the new resources as soon as they are published.

That makes October 27 particularly important for candidates who haven't yet committed to an exam version: you'll be able to compare the complete new blueprint against what you've already studied.

What about Developer Associate?

Developer Associate candidates have a little more time.

Registration for DVA-C03 also opens October 27, but the new exam doesn't begin until December.

AWS's current certification information says candidates should check back on October 27 for the new exam details and preparation resources. Amazon Web Services, Inc.

If you're already well into DVA-C02 preparation, don't automatically abandon your current plan simply because a newer version is coming.

Instead, decide based on your readiness and intended exam date.

Someone who is nearly prepared for the existing exam is in a very different position from someone who hasn't started studying.

Don't rebuild your study plan yet.

If you're planning to take SAP-C03 or DVA-C03, there is a good reason to resist studying from unofficial topic lists right now.

The detailed new resources are tied to the October 27 registration opening.

Use AWS's official material as the source of truth once it's available.

Then compare the new blueprint with what you already know.

You may find that much of what you've already studied still applies. AWS explicitly says the SAP-C03 update retains core architecture competencies while including skills that represent current practice. Amazon Web Services, Inc.

Your goal isn't to start over.

It's to identify the gap between what you already know and what the new exam expects.

The bigger certification trend

AWS has also been expanding its credential ecosystem past traditional certification exams.

On September 29, it introduced two agentic-AI microcredentials and, the following day, announced three hands-on AWS Jam experiences centered on building, deploying, and securing AI agents. Amazon Web Services, Inc.

Taken together, the changes illustrate where AWS training is heading: AI isn't being separated from cloud work. It's becoming part of cloud work.

For certification candidates, that makes one question increasingly important:

Am I learning this because it's on the exam—or because it's becoming part of the job?

The strongest preparation does both.