Amazon Shuts San Francisco AGI Site, Consolidates AI Research

Amazon is shutting down its San Francisco artificial general intelligence research site, a facility launched just over a year ago that was built around talent acquired from the AI startup Adept. The closure comes as part of broader workforce reductions across Amazon's AGI organization this week.

An Amazon spokesperson confirmed the site closure to GeekWire, which was first reported by The Information. Despite the shutdown, the company emphasized that its frontier model research will continue under different leadership and structure.

From Startup Acquisition to Consolidation

The San Francisco AGI Lab opened in December 2024 after Amazon brought in several dozen employees from Adept, including co-founder and CEO David Luan. The team expanded to approximately 80 people at its height, according to The Information.

However, the group has experienced significant attrition since its formation. More than a dozen of the original Adept hires have departed, including Luan himself. Amazon confirmed it cut an unspecified number of positions across the broader AGI organization earlier this week, though affected employees will have opportunities to pursue other roles within the company.

Frontier Research Continues Under New Leadership

Amazon's frontier model research will now operate under Pieter Abbeel, a UC Berkeley professor who joined Amazon in 2024. Abbeel came to the company when Amazon licensed technology and hired the team from Covariant, the robotics startup he co-founded.

This consolidation suggests Amazon is streamlining its advanced AI research efforts rather than abandoning them entirely. The company appears to be betting on Abbeel's robotics and AI expertise to guide its most ambitious model development work.

Why It Matters

The closure reflects the challenging economics of maintaining multiple specialized AI research labs, even for a company of Amazon's scale. As the industry shifts focus from pure research to practical deployment, Amazon is reallocating resources toward customer-facing AI applications and agent development. The move signals that acquiring startup teams doesn't guarantee long-term organizational fit, particularly when key founders depart.

Products and Services Remain Active

Despite the lab closure, Nova Act—the browser-agent model and service developed by the team—remains available on Amazon Web Services and continues serving customers. AWS has expanded its agentic AI portfolio with offerings including Bedrock AgentCore and applications such as Kiro, Quick, Continuum, and Transform.

The restructuring occurs as Amazon pursues aggressive AI deployment initiatives. The company recently announced a $1 billion AWS program to embed engineers directly with businesses building AI agents, reflecting an industry-wide pivot toward practical implementation over theoretical research.

The details of the closure were first reported by The Information.