diff --git a/plugins/node/opentelemetry-instrumentation-aws-lambda/src/instrumentation.ts b/plugins/node/opentelemetry-instrumentation-aws-lambda/src/instrumentation.ts
index 4aef1509ce..a705ca8b25 100644
--- a/plugins/node/opentelemetry-instrumentation-aws-lambda/src/instrumentation.ts
+++ b/plugins/node/opentelemetry-instrumentation-aws-lambda/src/instrumentation.ts
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ import {
   AWSXRayPropagator,
 } from '@opentelemetry/propagator-aws-xray';
 import {
+  SEMATTRS_FAAS_COLDSTART,
   SEMATTRS_FAAS_EXECUTION,
   SEMRESATTRS_CLOUD_ACCOUNT_ID,
   SEMRESATTRS_FAAS_ID,
@@ -72,6 +73,7 @@ const headerGetter: TextMapGetter<APIGatewayProxyEventHeaders> = {
 };
 
 export const traceContextEnvironmentKey = '_X_AMZN_TRACE_ID';
+export const lambdaMaxInitInMilliseconds = 10_000;
 
 export class AwsLambdaInstrumentation extends InstrumentationBase<AwsLambdaInstrumentationConfig> {
   private _traceForceFlusher?: () => Promise<void>;
@@ -135,6 +137,10 @@ export class AwsLambdaInstrumentation extends InstrumentationBase<AwsLambdaInstr
       functionName,
     });
 
+    const lambdaStartTime =
+      this.getConfig().lambdaStartTime ||
+      Date.now() - Math.floor(1000 * process.uptime());
+
     return [
       new InstrumentationNodeModuleDefinition(
         // NB: The patching infrastructure seems to match names backwards, this must be the filename, while
@@ -151,7 +157,11 @@ export class AwsLambdaInstrumentation extends InstrumentationBase<AwsLambdaInstr
               if (isWrapped(moduleExports[functionName])) {
                 this._unwrap(moduleExports, functionName);
               }
-              this._wrap(moduleExports, functionName, this._getHandler());
+              this._wrap(
+                moduleExports,
+                functionName,
+                this._getHandler(lambdaStartTime)
+              );
               return moduleExports;
             },
             (moduleExports?: LambdaModule) => {
@@ -164,16 +174,47 @@ export class AwsLambdaInstrumentation extends InstrumentationBase<AwsLambdaInstr
     ];
   }
 
-  private _getHandler() {
+  private _getHandler(handlerLoadStartTime: number) {
     return (original: Handler) => {
-      return this._getPatchHandler(original);
+      return this._getPatchHandler(original, handlerLoadStartTime);
     };
   }
 
-  private _getPatchHandler(original: Handler) {
+  private _getPatchHandler(original: Handler, lambdaStartTime: number) {
     diag.debug('patch handler function');
     const plugin = this;
 
+    let requestHandledBefore = false;
+    let requestIsColdStart = true;
+
+    function _onRequest(): void {
+      if (requestHandledBefore) {
+        // Non-first requests cannot be coldstart.
+        requestIsColdStart = false;
+      } else {
+        if (
+          process.env.AWS_LAMBDA_INITIALIZATION_TYPE ===
+          'provisioned-concurrency'
+        ) {
+          // If sandbox environment is initialized with provisioned concurrency,
+          // even the first requests should not be considered as coldstart.
+          requestIsColdStart = false;
+        } else {
+          // Check whether it is proactive initialization or not:
+          // https://aaronstuyvenberg.com/posts/understanding-proactive-initialization
+          const passedTimeSinceHandlerLoad: number =
+            Date.now() - lambdaStartTime;
+          const proactiveInitialization: boolean =
+            passedTimeSinceHandlerLoad > lambdaMaxInitInMilliseconds;
+
+          // If sandbox has been initialized proactively before the actual request,
+          // even the first requests should not be considered as coldstart.
+          requestIsColdStart = !proactiveInitialization;
+        }
+        requestHandledBefore = true;
+      }
+    }
+
     return function patchedHandler(
       this: never,
       // The event can be a user type, it truly is any.
@@ -182,6 +223,8 @@ export class AwsLambdaInstrumentation extends InstrumentationBase<AwsLambdaInstr
       context: Context,
       callback: Callback
     ) {
+      _onRequest();
+
       const config = plugin.getConfig();
       const parent = AwsLambdaInstrumentation._determineParent(
         event,
@@ -203,6 +246,7 @@ export class AwsLambdaInstrumentation extends InstrumentationBase<AwsLambdaInstr
               AwsLambdaInstrumentation._extractAccountId(
                 context.invokedFunctionArn
               ),
+            [SEMATTRS_FAAS_COLDSTART]: requestIsColdStart,
           },
         },
         parent
diff --git a/plugins/node/opentelemetry-instrumentation-aws-lambda/src/types.ts b/plugins/node/opentelemetry-instrumentation-aws-lambda/src/types.ts
index 279eb1a9a7..c58af49d26 100644
--- a/plugins/node/opentelemetry-instrumentation-aws-lambda/src/types.ts
+++ b/plugins/node/opentelemetry-instrumentation-aws-lambda/src/types.ts
@@ -41,4 +41,5 @@ export interface AwsLambdaInstrumentationConfig extends InstrumentationConfig {
   disableAwsContextPropagation?: boolean;
   eventContextExtractor?: EventContextExtractor;
   lambdaHandler?: string;
+  lambdaStartTime?: number;
 }
diff --git a/plugins/node/opentelemetry-instrumentation-aws-lambda/test/integrations/lambda-handler.test.ts b/plugins/node/opentelemetry-instrumentation-aws-lambda/test/integrations/lambda-handler.test.ts
index 2088c4316f..aa7306b48d 100644
--- a/plugins/node/opentelemetry-instrumentation-aws-lambda/test/integrations/lambda-handler.test.ts
+++ b/plugins/node/opentelemetry-instrumentation-aws-lambda/test/integrations/lambda-handler.test.ts
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import {
   AwsLambdaInstrumentation,
   AwsLambdaInstrumentationConfig,
   traceContextEnvironmentKey,
+  lambdaMaxInitInMilliseconds,
 } from '../../src';
 import {
   BatchSpanProcessor,
@@ -34,6 +35,7 @@ import { Context } from 'aws-lambda';
 import * as assert from 'assert';
 import {
   SEMATTRS_EXCEPTION_MESSAGE,
+  SEMATTRS_FAAS_COLDSTART,
   SEMATTRS_FAAS_EXECUTION,
   SEMRESATTRS_FAAS_NAME,
 } from '@opentelemetry/semantic-conventions';
@@ -295,6 +297,100 @@ describe('lambda handler', () => {
       assert.strictEqual(span.parentSpanId, undefined);
     });
 
+    it('should record coldstart', async () => {
+      initializeHandler('lambda-test/sync.handler');
+
+      const handlerModule = lambdaRequire('lambda-test/sync');
+
+      const result1 = await new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+        handlerModule.handler('arg', ctx, (err: Error, res: any) => {
+          if (err) {
+            reject(err);
+          } else {
+            resolve(res);
+          }
+        });
+      });
+
+      const result2 = await new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+        handlerModule.handler('arg', ctx, (err: Error, res: any) => {
+          if (err) {
+            reject(err);
+          } else {
+            resolve(res);
+          }
+        });
+      });
+
+      const spans = memoryExporter.getFinishedSpans();
+      assert.strictEqual(spans.length, 2);
+      const [span1, span2] = spans;
+
+      assert.strictEqual(result1, 'ok');
+      assertSpanSuccess(span1);
+      assert.strictEqual(span1.parentSpanId, undefined);
+      assert.strictEqual(span1.attributes[SEMATTRS_FAAS_COLDSTART], true);
+
+      assert.strictEqual(result2, 'ok');
+      assertSpanSuccess(span2);
+      assert.strictEqual(span2.parentSpanId, undefined);
+      assert.strictEqual(span2.attributes[SEMATTRS_FAAS_COLDSTART], false);
+    });
+
+    it('should record coldstart with provisioned concurrency', async () => {
+      process.env.AWS_LAMBDA_INITIALIZATION_TYPE = 'provisioned-concurrency';
+
+      initializeHandler('lambda-test/sync.handler');
+
+      const result = await new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+        lambdaRequire('lambda-test/sync').handler(
+          'arg',
+          ctx,
+          (err: Error, res: any) => {
+            if (err) {
+              reject(err);
+            } else {
+              resolve(res);
+            }
+          }
+        );
+      });
+      assert.strictEqual(result, 'ok');
+      const spans = memoryExporter.getFinishedSpans();
+      const [span] = spans;
+      assert.strictEqual(spans.length, 1);
+      assertSpanSuccess(span);
+      assert.strictEqual(span.parentSpanId, undefined);
+      assert.strictEqual(span.attributes[SEMATTRS_FAAS_COLDSTART], false);
+    });
+
+    it('should record coldstart with proactive initialization', async () => {
+      initializeHandler('lambda-test/sync.handler', {
+        lambdaStartTime: Date.now() - 2 * lambdaMaxInitInMilliseconds,
+      });
+
+      const result = await new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+        lambdaRequire('lambda-test/sync').handler(
+          'arg',
+          ctx,
+          (err: Error, res: any) => {
+            if (err) {
+              reject(err);
+            } else {
+              resolve(res);
+            }
+          }
+        );
+      });
+      assert.strictEqual(result, 'ok');
+      const spans = memoryExporter.getFinishedSpans();
+      const [span] = spans;
+      assert.strictEqual(spans.length, 1);
+      assertSpanSuccess(span);
+      assert.strictEqual(span.parentSpanId, undefined);
+      assert.strictEqual(span.attributes[SEMATTRS_FAAS_COLDSTART], false);
+    });
+
     it('should record error', async () => {
       initializeHandler('lambda-test/sync.error');