OpenAI has signed a deal to supply its AI models to U.S. defense and government agencies through Amazon Web Services - covering both classified and unclassified missions.
The agreement follows the Pentagon’s abrupt termination of its $200 million contract with Anthropic in February, after Anthropic refused unrestricted military use - particularly for domestic surveillance and autonomous weapons - prompting the DoD to label it a 'supply chain risk'.
OpenAI, previously limited to unclassified government work, now supports classified operations under this new arrangement.
The AWS partnership reflects a broader strategic shift: federal cloud infrastructure is becoming the primary gateway for AI vendors seeking national security contracts.
The move also strengthens OpenAI’s credibility with enterprise clients, who view Pentagon adoption as a signal of trust, reliability, and technical rigor.