For the past decade, Amazon Web Services has maintained its edge over Microsoft and Google in selling cloud computing services by speeding up its technology and lowering prices. Over the next 10 years, a key advantage will be its Graviton microchips, which AWS developed in-house to power apps on the internet or to help customers train machine-learning models.

Six AWS customers told The Information that cloud servers using Graviton processors consume less power and can deliver higher speeds than servers made by incumbents Intel and AMD. The Amazon customers said they saved 10% to 40% on computing costs by renting Graviton servers. Twitter, Snap, Adobe and SAP are among the customers of Graviton servers, which became a multibillion-dollar revenue business only three years after it launched, according to a person with direct knowledge of the figures. Since Amazon in May debuted a more cost-efficient third generation of Graviton chips, rivals are feeling even more pressure to catch up.