Amazon CEO Andy Jassy announced in a message to staff Wednesday that longtime AWS executive Peter DeSantis will lead a new organization within the company focused on AI.
The organization will be responsible for Amazon’s AI models such as Nova, as well as the silicon development and quantum computing that helps make AI tools faster and more efficient.
DeSantis spent 27 years at Amazon, including eight years as SVP of AWS, the cloud provider that powers about a third of the internet. At AWS’s recent re:Invent event, Amazon highlighted its commitment to enterprise AI, so it’s no surprise that the company would launch a new team from AWS leaders.
“Given our Nova 2 model just announced at re:Invent, our rapidly growing custom silicon, models, chips, and the benefits of optimization across cloud software and infrastructure, we wanted to free up Peter to focus his energy, invention cycles, and leadership on these new areas,” Jassy wrote.
Amazon’s increased emphasis on AI comes at a time when the company is keen to strengthen its foothold in the AI race, perhaps through investments rather than its own innovations. Last month, AWS announced a $50 billion investment in the U.S. government’s AI infrastructure. Amazon is also reportedly in talks to invest $10 billion in OpenAI, and has already invested $8 billion in OpenAI rival Anthropic.
