OpenAI’s subtle drift from Microsoft has become an aggressive move toward Amazon
Avishek Das | Lightrocket | Getty Images OpenAI revenue chief Denise Dresser said the AI company's agreement to make its models available on Amazon had nothing to do with an earlier restructuring of its relationship with Microsoft. 'The two are not related in any way,' Dresser told CNBC. Analysts, however, question the timing, noting OpenAI's recapitalization in late October, which gave Microsoft a 27% stake and required OpenAI to purchase $250 billion in Azure services until AGI verification. Since then, OpenAI has strengthened ties with Amazon, securing a $38 billion commitment in November and a $50 billion investment in February, using AWS Trainium chips for model training. The deal also includes joint development of customized models for Amazon’s consumer products. Meanwhile, Microsoft’s exclusivity with OpenAI has eroded: it lost its role as the sole cloud provider in 2024 and is now competing with Amazon in cloud infrastructure. UBS analysts noted Microsoft’s concessions, while Amazon CEO Andy Jassy called the move 'very interesting.' OpenAI’s revenue and growth estimates have fallen short of expectations, raising doubts about its IPO prospects. Microsoft has diversified its AI partnerships, using Anthropic’s models in Copilot and investing $5 billion in the company. Amazon, an early Anthropic partner, has also shifted to OpenAI’s Codex for Bedrock service. The dynamic reflects a broader industry trend: OpenAI and Anthropic rely on major cloud providers like AWS and Azure to secure compute capacity, while Microsoft and Amazon seek access to leading AI models to serve their vast customer bases. Despite Microsoft’s drift from OpenAI, both companies remain interdependent.
Source: CNBC