OpenAI and Dell work on Codex enterprise access

OpenAI and Dell Technologies said on May 18 they are collaborating to bring Codex into hybrid and on-premises enterprise environments, extending the coding agent beyond browser-based use and closer to corporate systems. The companies said Codex will connect with Dell’s AI Data Platform and that they are exploring how it can interface with the Dell AI Factory, Dell’s broader enterprise AI infrastructure stack. The announcement came alongside Dell Technologies World in Las Vegas, where Dell outlined new agentic AI and data-center products. OpenAI said the push is aimed at enterprises that want AI systems to work against internal codebases, documentation and business data without moving those assets far from existing infrastructure. ### What exactly are OpenAI and Dell building together? OpenAI said Codex will connect with the Dell AI Data Platform, which it described as a system many businesses already use to store, organize and govern enterprise data on-premises. The companies also said they will explore how Codex, ChatGPT Enterprise and other API-based tools can interface with the Dell AI Factory to prepare data, manage systems of record, run tests and deploy AI applications inside hybrid or on-premises Dell environments. (openai.com) Dell said the broader AI Factory portfolio is designed to let customers run AI on infrastructure they control. In a May 18 press release, the company said more than 5,000 customers are already deploying the Dell AI Factory and described new offerings for local agentic AI, data orchestration and infrastructure deployment. (openai.com) ### Why does “closer to enterprise data” keep coming up? OpenAI said the partnership is meant to bring Codex closer to the “internal context” that makes agents useful, including codebases, documentation, business systems, operational knowledge and team workflows. The company said that by connecting Codex to governed enterprise data in Dell environments, customers can use it to build, test, automate, analyze and act with more of the context needed for production work. (dell.com) Dell framed the same issue in infrastructure terms. Its May 18 announcement said organizations are seeking more controlled ways to deploy autonomous AI where performance, data sovereignty and cost efficiency matter, and said its deskside agentic AI systems are designed to let data stay on the device or inside the customer environment. (openai.com) ### How big is Codex inside OpenAI’s enterprise push? OpenAI said Codex is “one of OpenAI’s fastest-growing enterprise products” and that more than 4 million developers now use it every week. In a separate April 21 post, OpenAI said enterprises including Virgin Atlantic, Ramp, Notion, Cisco and Rakuten are already using Codex across code review, test coverage, incident response and work across large repositories. (dell.com) OpenAI also said in April that it had launched Codex Labs and was working with systems integrators including Accenture, Capgemini, CGI, Cognizant, Infosys, PwC and Tata Consultancy Services to move customers from pilots to production. That partner buildout provides context for the Dell deal, which focuses more directly on infrastructure and data location. (openai.com) ### What has Dell said about the surrounding platform? Dell said on May 18 that its AI ecosystem now includes new solutions with OpenAI, Google, Hugging Face, Palantir, ServiceNow and others. In a Dell blog post the same day, the company said those offerings are meant to help customers keep sensitive information in on-premises, sovereign-cloud or hybrid environments. (openai.com) Ihab Tarazi, Dell’s senior vice president and chief technology officer for the Infrastructure Solutions Group, said in OpenAI’s announcement that “The Dell AI Factory with OpenAI Codex will allow enterprises to deploy AI where enterprise data already lives, within their premises.” He said that would give customers “a practical, secure path” to deploying AI agents at scale. (dell.com) ### Where can customers track what comes next? OpenAI’s May 18 announcement said the immediate next step is connecting Codex with the Dell AI Data Platform and exploring links with the Dell AI Factory. Dell’s May 18 and May 19 materials, published during Dell Technologies World in Las Vegas, set out the related infrastructure releases that would support those deployments. (openai.com)