Now in Preview, Positron on Amazon SageMaker gives R and Python teams a single, governed environment that runs entirely inside their own AWS environment.
HOUSTON, Sept. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Posit, PBC and Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS) announced the public preview of Positron on Amazon SageMaker at posit::conf. Positron on Amazon SageMaker brings Positron, Posit's next-generation, integrated development environment (IDE) for the R and Python programming languages, directly into Amazon SageMaker Studio, so data science teams can move from exploration to production in one governed environment that runs inside their own AWS account.
Summary: Posit and AWS made Positron on Amazon SageMaker available in public preview at posit::conf on Sep 14, 2026. The integration adds Posit's R and Python IDE to Amazon SageMaker Studio as a one-click custom image, complete with R, Python, Quarto, and Posit Assistant - an in-IDE AI assistant compatible with Amazon Bedrock. Everything runs on the customer's own Amazon SageMaker compute under their existing AWS identity controls, so data and credentials never leave their account.
What is Positron on Amazon SageMaker?
Positron on Amazon SageMaker is a supported Positron image that appears in the Amazon SageMaker Studio launcher. Positron is a purpose-built data science IDE, built on Code OSS, that treats R and Python as equals rather than adding R support as an afterthought. The environment includes Posit Assistant, multi-console support, a variables pane, a data viewer and integrated help, all designed to improve data science. With one click in the Amazon SageMaker Studio launcher, users open Positron with R, Python and Quarto ready to use.
How does Posit Assistant use Amazon Bedrock?
Every session includes Posit Assistant, an in-IDE AI assistant powered by Amazon Bedrock and enabled by default. Posit Assistant authenticates through the customer's Amazon SageMaker execution role, so teams do not need to manage separate AI credentials. Administrators grant the execution role access to the preferred models they have enabled in Amazon Bedrock, and Posit Assistant uses it under the same AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) and model-access controls the customer already applies across their account.
Why it matters for enterprise data science
Enterprise data science teams face pressure to modernize infrastructure and prepare for production AI, yet many still work across fragmented toolchains, proprietary lock-in and disconnected R and Python workflows. Positron on Amazon SageMaker runs entirely inside the customer's own AWS account, on their Amazon SageMaker compute and under their IAM roles, so data and credentials never leave their boundary. The integration extends the Strategic Collaboration Agreement that Posit and AWS signed in September 2025, which deepened integrations across Amazon SageMaker, Amazon Bedrock, Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (Amazon EKS), Amazon Object Storage (Amazon S3) and AWS Lambda.
The combination is already producing measurable results for customers.
- By unifying their R and Python workflows on Posit Workbench with Amazon SageMaker, TruDiagnostic trained 1,600 models in one hour, down from months, saved a full year of product development time and reduced cloud infrastructure costs by 60%.
- NASA's People Analytics team used Posit on AWS to turn weeks of manual workforce analysis into real- time, interactive scenario planning, and described the combination as transforming its analytics organization "from a traditional reporting function into an AI-powered innovation engine."
"For years the only way to give data scientists the environment they actually wanted was to move data or credentials somewhere the security team couldn't see," said Eric Pité, Senior Vice President, Product and Strategy at Posit, PBC. "That was a deployment problem, not a governance problem. Positron on Amazon SageMaker runs inside the customer's own account, so there is nothing to move and nothing to trade away."
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Posit and AWS announce at posit::conf?
Posit and AWS announced the public preview of Positron on Amazon SageMaker. The integration brings Posit's open- source R and Python IDE, Positron, into Amazon SageMaker Studio as a one-click custom image.
Does Positron on Amazon SageMaker support both R and Python?
Yes. Positron treats R and Python as equals. Both R and Python come installed in the provided image and customers are free to adjust or include additional R and Python versions.
How do teams install Positron on Amazon SageMaker?
An administrator follows the standard Amazon SageMaker custom-image lifecycle: pull the published Positron image, push it to Amazon Elastic Container Registry (ECR), register it as a SageMaker custom image and version, then attach it to the Studio domain so users can select and launch it.
Is customer data secure with Positron on Amazon SageMaker?
Yes. Positron on Amazon SageMaker runs inside the customer's own AWS account, on their Amazon SageMaker compute and under their IAM roles. Data and credentials do not leave the customer's AWS boundary, and Posit Assistant uses the customer's existing Amazon Bedrock model-access controls.
About Posit, PBC
Posit, PBC is a leader in open-source and professional software for data science teams using Python and R. Trusted by millions of users and more than half the Fortune 100, Posit builds tools - including Positron, Posit Workbench, Posit Connect and Posit Package Manager - that help data scientists work more efficiently, collaborate seamlessly and share insights securely. Through its Strategic Collaboration Agreement with AWS, signed in September 2025, Posit enables enterprises to migrate to the cloud and operationalize AI on scalable, governed infrastructure. Learn more at https://posit.co.
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