en.Wedoany.com Reported - Amazon is developing a new version of its virtual assistant Alexa, codenamed Moonraker, designed to handle complex interactions involving multiple requests. This project marks a significant step forward in Amazon's efforts to enhance its AI agent capabilities.
The information was first disclosed by Business Insider, which reported that it had obtained Amazon's internal planning documents. The documents show that the Moonraker project aims to expand the capabilities of the Alexa AI assistant beyond the existing Alexa+, with a core focus on building Alexa's autonomous agentic capabilities, enabling the assistant to independently complete multi-step tasks. For example, users could simultaneously book a vehicle and send a text message to a friend with a single command. This capability is crucial for Amazon to compete with rivals such as Google, Anthropic, and OpenAI in the field of agentic AI models.
The development of Moonraker faces significant cost challenges. Leaked internal documents estimate that the project's GPU costs could exceed $100 million in 2026, a figure that has sparked internal discussions about delaying or scaling back the project. Business Insider reported that some Amazon executives believe the company has already invested too much in the AI models powering the current Alexa. Another document from late 2025 shows that Amazon plans to use "hundreds" of NVIDIA GPUs for the Moonraker project and leverage Anthropic's Sonnet model to test advanced reasoning and visual response capabilities.
Alexa+ was officially launched nationwide in the United States in early 2026 and remains in early access in other regions, such as the United Kingdom. The rollout has encountered some challenges, with some users reporting that Alexa+ struggles with basic requests that the older version of Alexa could handle without issue. Engadget reporter Cherlynn Low noted in a review earlier last year that while Alexa+ showed improvements in conversational ability, it had difficulty remembering previous conversations and requests, particularly when using apps like Uber.
Despite the exposure of the Moonraker project, Amazon continues to advance the development of Alexa+ features. In February, Amazon introduced three new personality styles, allowing users to adjust the AI assistant's interaction style, with the "sassy" option giving Alexa a more rude tone. Additionally, Amazon has added natural language food ordering capabilities through apps like GrubHub and Uber Eats. Amazon's development of Moonraker demonstrates its determination to remain competitive in the agentic AI race, but high development costs and internal concerns about AI spending are significant challenges it must address.
