Quantum News Nexus

Amazon has operated a cloud-based quantum computing service, Braket, for several years, and has delivered its share of groundbreaking quantum research, particularly in the field of error correction as it has developed its Ocelot chip. It also has Quantum Embark, a technical advisory program that could be viewed as an on-ramp to Braket (although see Amazon’s clarification on that below). Much of what the company has done in quantum has emerged from the Amazon Center for Quantum Computing in Pasadena, California.

But, there always have been lingering questions about Amazon’s quantum computing strategy: What’s the grand plan? Does it have a detailed quantum roadmap, like IBM, Google, and Microsoft, the other giants in the field? How will it connect its AI efforts to its quantum strategy? Will it buy or invest in quantum companies? What will it do next?

An announcement yesterday about a major leadership change at Amazon revives the discussion around those questions. Amazon announced that company vet Peter DeSantis will lead a new organization encompassing Amazon’s efforts around AI models, silicon development, and quantum computing.

The announcement did not contain any new information about Amazon’s quantum plans. UPDATE: An Amazon spokesman told QNN via e-mail after this story was first posted that there “will be no change to our quantum computing strategy.”

However, the move suggests that greater coherence and cohesiveness between these technology efforts could be in the works. Also, as the AI and quantum sectors are converging and working toward the creation of “Quantum AI data centers,” Amazon’s new organization looks like a likely candidate to bring that convergence in greater focus. Perhaps it’s a step toward a concrete announcement that Amazon will build such data centers or build its own in-house quantum computer. UPDATE: The spokesman added, “we continue with our plans to build our own quantum computer,” something I have to admit I didn’t think Amazon had explicitly stated yet.

One more thing: With the intent to outline Amazon’s quantum strategy in greater detail, the spokesman’s e-mail to QNN also stated, “Two things I’d clarify: 1) the Quantum Embark program is part of the Amazon Quantum Solution Lab; and 2) post-quantum cryptography (PQC) is also part of our quantum strategy, as outlined in our post-quantum cryptography migration plan and discussed in Werner Vogels’ tech predictions for 2026 blog.”

He continued, “So our strategy should be thought of as focused on Braket (access to different quantum hardware and tools for algorithm development), the AWS Center for Quantum computing (with Ocelot as our first prototype QPU), the Amazon Quantum Solutions Lab (collaborative research programs where customers work with leading experts in quantum computing, ML, and HPC to help them identify the most promising applications of quantum computing for their business), and PQC (to minimize the effort and the impact of the eventual migration to PQC to protect the security of our customers’ data in the future).”

I had been disappointed that the DeSantis announcement didn’t include a juicy quantum-centric quote for us to endlessly pick apart, but this move feels like a it could signal that Amazon’s substantial quantum momentum to date is ready to shift into a higher gear. The company spokesman’s further comments to QNN also illustrate there is some coherence already for Amazon to continue building on.

If you’re interested and digging much deeper into what Amazon has been up to thus far, check out the AWS Quantum Technologies blog.

Image: Amazon’s Ocelot chip. (Source: Amazon)

Quantum News Nexus is a site from freelance writer and editor Dan O’Shea that covers quantum computing, quantum sensing, quantum networking, quantum-safe security, and more. You can find him on X @QuantumNewsGuy and doshea14@gmail.com.