- OpenAI declares Microsoft a "primary cloud partner," but it's no longer an exclusive partner
- The "greater predictability" will help the ChatGPT maker to "scale"
- Recent shifts continue to point toward an IPO
OpenAI has declared an end to Microsoft's exclusive cloud rights, noting it plans to use other cloud providers like AWS and Google Cloud going forward.
The ChatGPT maker noted Microsoft will remain its "primary cloud partner," whereby it will select Azure as its first choice wherever suitable, but the company now promises to "serve all its products to customers across any cloud provider."
As part of the changes, Microsoft will retain access to OpenAI models via a license that lasts until 2032, but it's not unique to Microsoft as OpenAI looks to step away from this exclusivity.
OpenAI and Microsoft are no longer exclusive
"The greater predictability in the amended agreement strengthens our joint ability to build and operate AI platforms at scale while providing both companies the flexibility to pursue new opportunities," OpenAI wrote in its announcement.
As for Microsoft, it's no longer set to pay a revenue share to OpenAI as it has done under the exclusivity deal, but it will remain a major shareholder in the company. OpenAI will continue to pay a revenue share to Microsoft until 2030 at the same percentage, with a cap in place.
It marks around five years of Azure exclusivity, whereby all major products were trained on, and distributed via, Azure. With the contract effectively blocking OpenAI from using AWS, Google Cloud and others, changes started to become apparent in 2025-2026, driven by the Oracle-backed Stargate Project and, a year later, a strategic partnership with Amazon.
Increasing independence could play into OpenAI's strategy to go public, rumors of which have been circulating for a number of months.
