OpenAI-MS Alliance Restructured... Doors Open to AWS and Google
by Oh Suyon
Published 28 Apr.2026 10:46(KST)
Updated 28 Apr.2026 14:05(KST)
OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, and Microsoft (MS) have revised their agreement, converting MS's exclusive rights to use OpenAI's artificial intelligence (AI) models into a non-exclusive license. As a result, OpenAI's AI will now be available to Microsoft's competitors, including Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google Cloud.
On April 27 (local time), MS and OpenAI released a joint statement announcing these changes. With the amended contract, OpenAI will provide its products through all cloud providers. However, MS will remain OpenAI's primary cloud partner, and OpenAI will continue to launch new services first on Microsoft Azure.
As before, MS will retain intellectual property rights licenses for OpenAI models and products through 2032, but these rights will shift from exclusive to non-exclusive. Additionally, MS will no longer share in the profits from selling OpenAI products through its own services.
The condition requiring OpenAI to allocate a certain percentage of its model and product sales revenue to MS through 2030 remains in place. However, the previous clause that would have ended revenue sharing if OpenAI achieved artificial general intelligence (AGI) before 2030 has been removed. According to industry sources, MS currently receives about 20% of sales revenue from OpenAI products.
The two companies, which initially worked as a team to drive Azure's growth in the early days of AI adoption, have now entered a new phase where each will pursue its own growth following the contract revision. This amendment is intended to resolve conflicts between the two and acknowledge OpenAI's business expansion. Recently, OpenAI agreed to provide enterprise AI services to AWS, a rival of MS. In response, MS has hinted at taking legal action.
With its initial public offering (IPO) approaching, OpenAI will provide AI services through cloud providers other than MS. MS, in turn, can streamline its resources by expanding its own AI investments, such as Copilot. The removal of exclusivity clauses will also strengthen both companies' positions in responding to antitrust investigations around the world.
In their joint statement, the companies said, "With the revised agreement, there is greater predictability, allowing both parties to jointly build and operate large-scale AI platforms while also gaining the flexibility to pursue new opportunities."
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