Amazon has appointed longtime AWS executive Peter DeSantis to lead a newly formed organization dedicated to artificial intelligence, according to a message sent to employees by CEO Andy Jassy. The new unit will oversee the development of Amazon’s AI models, including Nova, as well as the company’s custom silicon and quantum computing initiatives, which are central to improving the speed, efficiency, and scalability of AI services across Amazon’s cloud and consumer businesses.
DeSantis brings nearly three decades of experience at Amazon, including eight years as a Senior Vice President at AWS, which supports a significant share of global internet infrastructure. The move follows Amazon’s recent re:Invent conference, where the company highlighted its focus on enterprise AI offerings and deeper integration across its technology stack, signaling its growing emphasis on AI-driven innovation.
Explaining the decision, Jassy said, “With our Nova 2 models just launched at re:Invent, our custom silicon growing rapidly, and the advantages of optimizing across models, chips, and cloud software and infrastructure, we wanted to free Peter up to focus his energy, invention cycles, and leadership on these new areas.” The leadership shift reflects Amazon’s broader push to strengthen its position in AI through both internal development and large-scale investments. In recent months, AWS announced a $50 billion investment in U.S. government AI infrastructure, while Amazon has committed $8 billion to Anthropic and is reportedly discussing a potential $10 billion investment in OpenAI.