Amazon has announced a major change in its artificial intelligence leadership, marking what it sees as a key moment in its AI journey. Rohit Prasad, a senior AI leader and head of the company’s artificial general intelligence (AGI) initiatives, will leave the company by the end of this year. This news was confirmed by Amazon, which is also reorganising its AI teams. CEO Andy Jassy described this as an important turning point for the company.
In a message to employees, Jassy explained Amazon’s plan to restructure its AGI unit and merge it into a larger organisation. This new division will manage advanced AI research and development while also combining Amazon’s silicon engineering and quantum computing teams. Jassy stated that this integration shows Amazon’s belief that AI, custom hardware, and new computing technologies need to work together to create long-term benefits.
Peter DeSantis, a long-time Amazon executive and current Senior Vice President at Amazon Web Services (AWS), will lead this new division. With nearly 30 years at Amazon, DeSantis will now report directly to Jassy, highlighting the importance of this next phase of AI innovation.
Amazon’s decision comes as the global AI market becomes more competitive. Companies like OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic have gained attention with their rapid advancements in AI tools. In contrast, Amazon has focused more on infrastructure and enterprise AI, using its strengths in cloud services and technology development.
Over the past year, Amazon has introduced its own family of foundation models under the Nova brand and has invested significantly in custom-built hardware. Its Trainium AI chips, designed for large-scale model training, are seen as a cost-effective alternative to popular third-party processors. By combining AI models, custom silicon, and quantum computing, Amazon aims for better software-hardware integration as a key advantage.
Along with the organisational changes, Amazon is also strengthening its AI research leadership. Pieter Abbeel, a well-respected figure in AI research, will lead the company’s frontier model research within the AGI group. Abbeel joined Amazon in 2024 after the acquisition of robotics startup Covariant, and his new role indicates a focus on foundational AI research beyond immediate product needs.
DeSantis brings extensive experience to his new role. He joined Amazon in 1998 and played a key part in building AWS. Over the years, he has held senior leadership positions and has been an SVP since 2016, overseeing AWS’s core computing areas, including compute, storage, databases, security, and custom chip development.
Rohit Prasad’s departure marks the end of an important chapter in Amazon’s AI development. He joined the company in 2013 and served as the chief scientist for Alexa, influencing the technology behind Amazon’s voice assistant. In 2023, he was appointed to lead Amazon’s AGI initiatives, making him central to the company’s ambitious AI projects.
Jassy acknowledged Prasad’s contributions, calling him “missionary, passionate and selfless,” and thanked him for his leadership and vision. As Amazon moves into this new phase, the leadership change reflects its goal to sharpen focus, unify capabilities, and strengthen its position in the fast-changing AI landscape.