OpenAI Signs $38B AI Deal with Amazon

For years, the world thought Microsoft had OpenAI locked in.
Turns out, that lock just snapped open — with Amazon holding the key.

OpenAI has signed a $38 billion AI training deal with Amazon Web Services (AWS), gaining access to “hundreds of thousands” of Nvidia GPUs inside Amazon’s global data centers. This seven-year partnership marks a major realignment in the AI cloud race — and a subtle power shift away from Microsoft’s grip.

Under this new agreement, OpenAI will immediately start training its AI models on AWS infrastructure, with full capacity expected by the end of 2026 — and expansion plans already in place for 2027 and beyond.

This move follows OpenAI’s recent corporate restructuring, where it formalized its for-profit operations and renewed its Microsoft deal, granting Microsoft rights to OpenAI’s technology until it reaches artificial general intelligence (AGI). But there’s a twist: OpenAI can now work with other partners to build specific products and even release certain open-weight models — something previously restricted.

So while Microsoft still holds a $250 billion cloud deal with OpenAI, Amazon has carved out a $38 billion slice — and Oracle reportedly holds another $300 billion contract for AI compute. Each alliance gives OpenAI flexibility, redundancy, and independence — crucial in an industry where compute power decides who leads.

The message is clear: OpenAI isn’t a one-cloud company anymore.
It’s building a distributed, unstoppable AI backbone that spans across every major cloud provider.

Amazon, for its part, has been quietly ramping up its AI ambitions. It’s already invested billions into Anthropic, another AI powerhouse, and now, through this deal, AWS becomes an essential pillar in OpenAI’s training pipeline. The partnership isn’t just about access to chips — it’s about positioning Amazon as a critical enabler in the global AI race.

It’s also a smart insurance policy for OpenAI. The company’s appetite for GPUs and compute scale is unmatched, and depending on one provider — even one as large as Microsoft — creates unnecessary risk. By working with Amazon and Oracle, OpenAI spreads that risk, gains leverage, and secures a near-limitless pool of computing power for its next generation of models.

Think about what that means: every new iteration of GPT, every upcoming AI tool, and every scientific model powered by OpenAI could soon be running on AWS — alongside the likes of Netflix, NASA, and Spotify.

It’s a quiet move, but a seismic one.
Because while everyone’s still debating which chatbot is smarter, OpenAI is building the world’s most powerful AI infrastructure — piece by piece, across every cloud.

This deal doesn’t just mark a partnership. It marks the start of a more open, competitive, and distributed AI future — one where no single company owns the keys to intelligence.

OpenAI may still be Microsoft’s crown jewel — but Amazon just became the forge that sharpens it.

Read the official announcement from Amazon Newsroom