Amazon has announced a significant change in its leadership structure aimed at accelerating its efforts in artificial intelligence. In a memo sent to employees on Wednesday, CEO Andy Jassy revealed that Peter DeSantis, a long-time AWS executive, will now lead a new organization dedicated exclusively to AI within the company.

The new unit will be responsible for Amazon’s key AI projects, including the Nova models, as well as initiatives in custom silicon and quantum computing—areas considered strategic for making AI systems faster, more efficient, and scalable.

AWS experience as the foundation of the new strategy

With 27 years at Amazon, DeSantis has spent the last eight years as Senior Vice President of AWS, the cloud computing division that supports much of the global digital infrastructure. His appointment underscores the company’s bet on a direct integration between AI and cloud—one of Amazon’s main competitive advantages.

During the AWS re:Invent event, the company had already signaled that artificial intelligence would be one of the central pillars for enterprise clients in the coming years. According to Andy Jassy, the reorganization allows DeSantis to focus his efforts on critical areas for the company’s future.

“We wanted to free Peter to focus his energy and inventive cycles on these new areas,” the CEO wrote, citing the advancement of the Nova 2 models, the development of proprietary chips, and the integration of hardware, software, and cloud infrastructure.

Billions at stake in the global AI race

This move comes amid the intensifying global competition for AI leadership. Amazon has been strengthening its position through heavy investments in infrastructure and strategic partnerships.

Last month, AWS announced a $50 billion investment in AI infrastructure aimed at the U.S. government. Additionally, the company has already invested $8 billion in Anthropic and is reportedly negotiating to invest up to $10 billion in OpenAI, signaling its intent to expand influence in the global AI ecosystem.

By centralizing its strategy under the leadership of a key AWS executive, Amazon makes it clear that it views artificial intelligence not just as a product but as the next structural engine of its growth.[wpdiscuz]