OpenAI expands to Amazon's cloud

OpenAI is bringing its models, Codex, and Managed Agents to Amazon Web Services after loosening the exclusive terms of its Microsoft alliance. (openai.com) (blogs.microsoft.com) OpenAI and Microsoft said on April 27 that they amended their partnership so OpenAI can serve products across any cloud provider, while Microsoft keeps access to OpenAI technology through 2032. (openai.com) (blogs.microsoft.com) A day later, OpenAI and Amazon Web Services said AWS customers will get OpenAI models inside Amazon Bedrock, plus Codex and Bedrock Managed Agents powered by OpenAI, initially in limited preview. (openai.com) (aboutamazon.com) Amazon Web Services is Amazon’s cloud-computing arm, and Bedrock is its marketplace for outside artificial intelligence models. The new arrangement lets companies buy OpenAI tools without moving their broader cloud setup onto Microsoft Azure. (aboutamazon.com) (axios.com) That changes a structure that had tied OpenAI’s commercial distribution closely to Microsoft for years. CNBC reported the revised deal caps Microsoft’s revenue share and follows months of talks over how much independence OpenAI would have. (cnbc.com 1) (cnbc.com 2) Amazon framed the AWS launch around enterprise use: companies that already store data, manage security, and run compliance workflows on AWS can now plug OpenAI systems into those existing controls. (aboutamazon.com) (openai.com) Microsoft is still not out of the picture. Its April 27 post said the amended agreement gives both companies “flexibility” while preserving Microsoft’s ability to build and operate AI platforms at scale with OpenAI. (blogs.microsoft.com) The immediate result is that OpenAI can now be sold where many large companies already buy cloud services. That puts its models alongside rival offerings on Amazon Bedrock instead of only through Microsoft’s stack. (aboutamazon.com) (axios.com) For customers, the shift is less about a new model than a new route to buy one. OpenAI’s products are moving from a largely single-cloud channel to a multi-cloud one. (openai.com 1) (openai.com 2)