Amazon is discontinuing active development of most of its in-house Nova AI models—including flagship Premier and Omni variants, a video model, and an image generator—though existing customers retain access in maintenance mode. The company is redirecting resources to a new Frontier Model Research group under Pieter Abbeel, with a new foundation model planned for the re:Invent conference this fall. Amazon continues investing heavily in AI through partnerships with Anthropic and OpenAI, where investments could top $100 billion（約16兆円）.
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Amazon is halting active development of its flagship Nova Premier and Omni models, the Reel video model, and the Canvas image generator, placing them in "keep the lights on" mode for existing customers. The shift follows layoffs in the AGI division and closure of the AGI Lab (founded in 2024 after acquiring Adept). Resources are being redirected to a new Frontier Model Research group led by Pieter Abbeel, who joined through the acquisition of robotics startup Covariant.
Why it matters
Amazon is not exiting AI competition, but rather consolidating its in-house model efforts and refocusing on foundation model research. The company remains one of the largest backers of Anthropic and OpenAI, where investments could top $100 billion（約16兆円）, suggesting its AI ambitions persist through both internal development and strategic partnerships.
What to watch
A new foundation model is due at the re:Invent conference this fall. Amazon has signaled that AI models remain one of its most important projects despite the Nova pullback.
Amazon is fundamentally restructuring its AI strategy, scaling back its in-house model development while maintaining financial commitments to external AI leaders. The company had debuted its Nova model family in December 2024, positioning it as a comprehensive suite of AI models. However, Business Insider reports, citing insiders, that Amazon is now discontinuing active development on the flagship Nova Premier and Omni models—which were central to the family—as well as the Reel video model and Canvas image generator. These models will remain available to existing customers in a minimal "keep the lights on" maintenance mode, but will not receive active enhancement or new feature development.
This pullback follows internal disruption: Amazon has conducted layoffs within its AGI (artificial general intelligence) division and shut down the AGI Lab it had founded in 2024 following its acquisition of AI startup Adept. The company is now consolidating its AI research under a new Frontier Model Research group led by Pieter Abbeel, a prominent AI and robotics researcher who joined Amazon when it acquired Covariant, a robotics startup where Abbeel held leadership. A new foundation model from this group is scheduled to debut at Amazon's re:Invent conference this fall.
Despite the strategic pullback on in-house models, Amazon has made clear that AI remains a core priority. A company spokesperson told Business Insider that AI models are among Amazon's most important projects. More tellingly, Amazon has become one of the world's largest backers of external AI labs: the company is a major investor in both Anthropic and OpenAI, with combined investments that could exceed $100 billion（約16兆円）. This dual approach—deprioritizing internal model families while heavily backing leading external teams—suggests Amazon is willing to cede some near-term consumer-facing AI model competition in exchange for deep partnerships and influence over the direction of the industry's most advanced research.
Amazon's pullback on Nova models marks a significant recalibration of its AI strategy, not an exit from the field. The company had unveiled Nova in December 2024 as a family of models spanning different sizes and capabilities, but internal changes have forced a pivot. The closure of the AGI Lab—which Amazon established in 2024 after acquiring Adept—suggests the company is consolidating duplicate efforts and layering responsibility more selectively.
The shift to the Frontier Model Research group under Abbeel, supported by his prior leadership at the robotics startup Covariant, indicates Amazon is betting on focused foundation model research over broad model families. This aligns with a broader industry pattern where companies shift resources toward core architectural breakthroughs rather than maintaining multiple variant product lines. Simultaneously, Amazon's reported investments in Anthropic and OpenAI (potentially exceeding $100 billion（約16兆円）) reveal that the company is hedging its in-house AI bets with exposure to leading external teams, a position that reduces pressure to deliver immediately from internal labs.
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