Microsoft has reaffirmed and evolved its partnership with OpenAI, securing continued exclusive access to OpenAI's technology while introducing new flexibility in infrastructure arrangements.
The extended partnership includes several key business provisions:
- Microsoft maintains exclusive rights to OpenAI's intellectual property for integration into enterprise products like Microsoft Copilot through 2030
- OpenAI's API remains exclusive to Azure, ensuring enterprise customers can access leading AI models through Microsoft's cloud platform
- A bidirectional revenue sharing agreement continues, with both companies benefiting from increased model adoption
- Microsoft remains a major investor in OpenAI, providing both funding and computational capacity
The partnership evolution introduces a significant change in infrastructure arrangements, shifting from complete exclusivity to a right of first refusal (ROFR) model for new capacity. This modification allows OpenAI to potentially build additional capacity for research and training, while Microsoft maintains preferential access.
OpenAI has also committed to a substantial new Azure investment, reinforcing the platform's position as the foundation for OpenAI's product suite and training infrastructure. This commitment suggests continued stability for enterprise customers relying on Azure-based AI services.