Dive Brief:

• Amazon is investing heavily in artificial intelligence, Alexa, logistics, cloud apps and media as it looks to maintain its current momentum and prepares to compete effectively in the future, according to CB Insights, which recently completed an in-depth analysis of the company.

• Amazon is also moving into the healthcare sector, investing in GRAIL, which focuses on genomics for cancer diagnosis. "Success in the newer bets has cracked open new opportunities, but Amazon must defend and build on its new businesses," CB Insights reported. That means Amazon will have to continue to "innovate faster than rivals," which include Apple, Google, Wal-Mart and Alibaba, to name a few. 

• The company is also expanding the technology behind Alexa into other areas. Amazon wants to "be the cloud-based voice software powering everything from car dashboards to consumer wearables," CB Insights said. 

Dive Insight:

Amazon has turned into quite the conglomerate over the last 15 years, and it shows no signs of slowing down. In cloud, AWS can’t be touched, posting $12.2 billion in sales in 2016 and more than $3 billion in profit, as GeekWire reports.  

While CB Insights predicts AI will be Amazon’s next big play, it also warns that the company will be up against some strong competitors,such as IBM and Google, which are quickly advancing in the area. IBM has built an entire business centered around its Watson technology, using cognitive technology to drive analytics across sectors. 

If innovation continues, however, Amazon is set to become on of the most valuable companies in America. The company is the third most valuable brand in the U.S., according to the recent U.S. 500 2017 report from BrandFinance. Amazon’s brand value was up 53% year-over-year, indicating it is coming on strong and could soon give Apple and Google a run for their money.