OpenAI has signed a new partnership agreement with Microsoft and secured the right to sell its products through cloud providers other than Microsoft, the Wall Street Journal reported on April 27.

As a result, OpenAI is expected to be able to sell its models and services on cloud platforms other than Microsoft, including Amazon Web Services (AWS).

AWS has offered the Bedrock platform, which provides access to various AI models through a single API, but OpenAI’s flagship models were excluded from Bedrock due to the agreement between Microsoft and OpenAI.

With this revision, AWS users are expected to be able to use OpenAI’s flagship models on Bedrock as well.

Microsoft is giving up exclusive licence rights to OpenAI models and products, but it can continue using them until 2032.

A controversial AGI (artificial general intelligence) clause was also removed. Under the previous agreement, if OpenAI declared it had achieved AGI, Microsoft would lose its right to exclusive access to OpenAI technology. AGI itself lacks a clear definition and there is no industry consensus, making it a point of contention in negotiations between Microsoft and OpenAI.

The revenue-sharing structure is also changing. OpenAI will share part of its revenue with Microsoft through 2030, but set a cap. Microsoft will not share revenue with OpenAI.

Microsoft and OpenAI have stepped up moves to reduce their dependence on each other.

Microsoft is developing its own models and is also using Anthropic’s Claude in Microsoft 365 products. OpenAI is pushing for an IPO as early as this year. Microsoft shares fell about 1 percent in early trading after the announcement.