Pentagon Signs AI Agreements With Eight Technology Companies

The U.S. Department of Defense announced agreements with eight technology companies to deploy artificial intelligence tools on classified military networks, according to a department statement posted on X on Friday. The companies include Nvidia, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, Oracle Corp., SpaceX, OpenAI, Google, and Reflection AI.

The Pentagon stated that the agreements allow for "lawful operational use of advanced artificial intelligence tools" on Impact Level 6 and Impact Level 7 environments, which are secure classified networks. These tools are intended to "streamline data synthesis, elevate situational understanding, and augment warfighter decision-making," the department's statement said.

Oracle Corp. joined the roster on Friday, the Pentagon posted on X. Similar deals were confirmed with SpaceX, OpenAI, and Google. The agreement with Google was the first officially acknowledged by the Pentagon. Negotiations with Amazon Web Services concluded late Thursday, according to two Pentagon officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the details publicly.

"AWS has been committed to supporting the US military for more than a decade," said Tim Barrett, an AWS spokesperson. OpenAI signed a new agreement earlier this year for expanded use of its models on classified networks, an OpenAI spokesperson said, adding that implementation is underway but the tools are not yet deployed.

Nvidia agreed not to impose usage policies or model licenses restricting the Defense Department's use beyond U.S. law and constitutional authority, according to a person familiar with the agreement.

The Pentagon also operates GovGenAI.mil, a secure enterprise platform for generative AI in government-approved cloud environments for non-classified tasks such as research, document drafting, and data analysis, according to the department.