Amazon.com Inc reorganizes its AI strategy as Rohit Prasad exits and Peter DeSantis takes charge of a unified AGI, chips, and quantum unit.
Amazon.com Inc has announced a major leadership change in its artificial intelligence strategy, confirming that AI chief Rohit Prasad will leave the company by year-end. In a significant restructuring move, CEO Andy Jassy has appointed longtime Amazon executive Peter DeSantis to head a newly expanded Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) division, signaling a strategic reset amid intensifying global AI competition.
Amazon confirms Rohit Prasad’s departure
Amazon confirmed on Wednesday that Rohit Prasad, who has overseen the company’s AGI initiatives since 2023, will step down at the end of the year. Prasad played a pivotal role in shaping Amazon’s AI direction, having earlier served as the chief scientist behind the Alexa voice assistant.
His exit comes at a time when Amazon is accelerating efforts to strengthen its position against AI rivals such as Alphabet Class A (Google), OpenAI, and Anthropic.
Peter DeSantis to lead reorganized AGI group
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy announced that Peter DeSantis, a 27-year Amazon veteran and senior vice president within AWS, will lead the newly restructured AGI organization. The expanded division will now bring together:
- Artificial General Intelligence research
- Custom silicon development (Trainium, Graviton, Nitro)
- Quantum computing initiatives
DeSantis will report directly to Jassy, underlining the strategic importance of the new unit.
Why Amazon is reshaping its AI strategy
According to Jassy, Amazon has reached an “inflection point” in AI development. The company believes closer integration between AI models, custom chips, and cloud infrastructure will unlock faster innovation and better performance for enterprise and consumer customers.
Amazon recently launched its Nova foundation models, positioning them as a core alternative in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.
Leadership background: DeSantis and Prasad
Peter DeSantis joined Amazon in 1998, rising through the ranks during the early days of Amazon Web Services. Over the past four years, he led AWS’s computing products, including infrastructure, databases, security, and custom chip programs.
Rohit Prasad joined Amazon in 2013 and became a central figure in its AI ambitions. Jassy praised him as “missionary, passionate, and selfless,” crediting him for building a strong technical foundation.
Frontier AI research under Pieter Abbeel
As part of the reorganization, Amazon also confirmed that Pieter Abbeel, a leading AI researcher and robotics expert, will head the frontier model research team within the AGI group. Abbeel joined Amazon following its acquisition and licensing deal with robotics startup Covariant.
His appointment highlights Amazon’s growing focus on robotics, reinforcement learning, and generative AI.
INDUSTRY CONTEXT
Amazon’s AI leadership reshuffle follows growing scrutiny over whether the company has lagged behind competitors in generative AI. Recent layoffs and analyst commentary had fueled speculation about AWS’s position in the AI cloud race.
However, Amazon has countered this narrative through:
- Multi-billion-dollar investments in Anthropic
- Ongoing discussions with OpenAI
- Expansion of its custom AI chip ecosystem
FACT BOX
Amazon AI Leadership Update
- Outgoing AI head: Rohit Prasad
- New AGI leader: Peter DeSantis
- Reporting line: Direct to CEO Andy Jassy
- AGI division includes: AI models, chips, quantum computing
- Frontier research head: Pieter Abbeel
EXPERT COMMENTARY
Technology analysts say Amazon’s move reflects a shift toward vertical AI integration, combining hardware, software, and cloud infrastructure under unified leadership. This model mirrors strategies used by top AI competitors seeking efficiency and scale.
CONCLUSION
With Rohit Prasad’s departure and Peter DeSantis assuming leadership of a consolidated AGI division, Amazon.com Inc is signaling a decisive pivot in its AI roadmap. The reorganization underscores Amazon’s ambition to remain competitive in a fast-moving AI race where scale, integration, and execution are critical.
