Amazon Appoints Peter DeSantis to Lead New AI Organization

Amazon Creates New AI Organization Led by Peter DeSantis

Andy Jassy, the Chief Executive Officer of Amazon, communicated to employees on Wednesday the appointment of Peter DeSantis, a veteran executive from AWS, to spearhead a newly established organization dedicated to Artificial Intelligence.

This new division will oversee Amazon’s proprietary AI models, including Nova. It will also be responsible for advancements in silicon development and the exploration of quantum computing.

These technologies are crucial for enhancing the speed and efficiency of AI-powered tools.

DeSantis’ Extensive Experience at Amazon

Peter DeSantis has dedicated 27 years of service to Amazon. For the past eight years, he served as a Senior Vice President within AWS, the cloud service provider that underpins approximately one-third of the global internet.

Amazon strongly emphasized its dedication to AI solutions for business applications during the recent re:Invent conference. Consequently, the formation of this new team, drawn from AWS leadership, is a logical progression.

Jassy’s Rationale for the Organizational Shift

“Given the recent launch of our Nova 2 models at re:Invent, the rapid progress of our custom silicon, and the benefits of optimization across models, chips, and cloud software and infrastructure, we aimed to allow Peter to concentrate his efforts, innovative thinking, and leadership on these emerging fields,” Jassy explained in his message.

Amazon’s Strategic AI Investments

Amazon’s heightened focus on AI coincides with its ambition to solidify its position in the competitive AI landscape. This is being pursued through substantial investments, alongside internal innovation.

Last month, AWS committed $50 billion to support the development of AI infrastructure within the United States government.

Furthermore, Amazon is reportedly considering a $10 billion investment in OpenAI. The company has already allocated $8 billion to Anthropic, a competitor to OpenAI.

Key areas of focus for the new organization include: