Amazon.com confirmed on Wednesday that Rohit Prasad, the executive overseeing its artificial general intelligence (AGI) division, will depart by the end of this year.
In a blog post, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy announced a restructuring of the AGI unit as part of broader personnel changes. The division will be merged into a larger new organization that will also include the chip development and quantum computing teams. Peter DeSantis, a 27-year Amazon veteran and senior vice president of its cloud computing division, will lead the newly formed unit.
Jassy stated that the company believes AI technology has reached an "inflection point," prompting the decision to consolidate its AI-related teams.
Some industry observers argue that Amazon has fallen behind competitors in AI product development, and the company is working to counter this perception. Amazon has launched its proprietary "Nova" series of foundational models, competing fiercely with OpenAI, Google, and AI startup Anthropic. Additionally, it has developed its own "Trainium" line of custom AI chips to rival Nvidia's offerings.
In the blog post, Jassy wrote: "With the technical foundation we’ve built, the strong progress we’re making, and Peter’s leadership to align these efforts toward a clear goal, we are well-positioned to deliver high-value technological services to customers. I’m excited about this team’s future innovations and confident these core technologies will help shape Amazon’s future."
Jassy also noted that DeSantis will report directly to him. Furthermore, Amazon appointed Peter Abbeel to lead the frontier model research team under the AGI division. Abbeel, a co-founder of robotics startup Covariant, joined Amazon after the company’s acquisition in 2024.
DeSantis joined Amazon in 1998, serving as a general manager during the early days of Amazon Web Services (AWS). He rose through the ranks, becoming a senior vice president in 2016. According to his LinkedIn profile, he has led AWS’s compute product team for the past four years, overseeing areas such as computing, storage, databases, cybersecurity, and custom chip development.
Prasad joined Amazon in 2013 and served as the chief scientist for the Alexa voice assistant before being tasked with leading the company’s AGI efforts in 2023.
In a memo, Jassy praised Prasad: "Rohit has approached his work with deep dedication, passion, and selflessness. I sincerely appreciate his outstanding leadership, forward-thinking vision, and numerous contributions to the company’s growth."
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