Amazon has created a new artificial intelligence organization and named longtime AWS executive Peter DeSantis to lead it, according to a message sent to employees by CEO Andy Jassy. The group will oversee Amazon’s AI model development, including its Nova family, as well as custom silicon and quantum computing initiatives that support AI performance and efficiency.
DeSantis has spent 27 years at Amazon and most recently served as a senior vice president at AWS, the company’s cloud division. His appointment follows Amazon’s renewed focus on enterprise AI, highlighted at the recent AWS re:Invent conference, where the company emphasized integrated development across models, chips, and cloud infrastructure. Jassy said the move allows DeSantis to focus fully on advancing these interconnected technologies.
The leadership shift comes as Amazon accelerates its broader AI strategy through both internal development and large-scale investments. AWS recently committed tens of billions of dollars toward expanding AI infrastructure for U.S. government use. Amazon has also increased its exposure to external AI innovation, including a multibillion-dollar investment in Anthropic and reported discussions around $10B strategic funding for OpenAI.
