OpenAI’s artificial intelligence models have made a significant leap by becoming accessible on a cloud computing platform beyond Microsoft, its primary investor. In a recent announcement, AWS revealed that it will host OpenAI’s two new open-weight models on its Bedrock platform, marking a notable shift in the competitive landscape of cloud services.
New Offerings from OpenAI
OpenAI has introduced its gpt-oss models, featuring 120 billion and 20 billion parameters, which are now available for public use. This development is particularly noteworthy as it represents the first time since the release of GPT-2 in 2019 that OpenAI has offered an open model. The models are designed to be utilized by anyone, including AWS, although they are not entirely open source. Users will not have access to the underlying code or the datasets used for training, which limits transparency regarding potential biases.
In a blog post, Danilo Poccia, AWS’s chief evangelist, expressed enthusiasm about the availability of these models, highlighting their integration into two of AWS’s platforms. The promotional materials even featured the logos of both companies side by side, a gesture typically reserved for formal partnerships.
Market Implications
While enterprises can access OpenAI’s models directly through its API, many prefer the enhanced compliance, security, and expertise offered by major cloud providers like AWS. BofA analyst Justin Post noted that although OpenAI’s open-weight models may not represent the cutting edge of AI technology, they align well with Amazon’s strategy for cost savings. He emphasized that the larger open-weight model from OpenAI provides substantial value, offering ten times more for the price compared to a similar Gemini model, and even greater savings against other alternatives.
According to Poccia, these models excel in areas such as coding, scientific analysis, and mathematical reasoning, boasting performance levels comparable to leading competitors. Additionally, they are compatible with external tools and can be integrated into an “agentic workflow,” enhancing their utility for businesses.
AWS already hosts a variety of open models, including Meta’s Llama, DeepSeek, and Mistral, along with Claude from Anthropic, in which Amazon has invested significantly. However, Claude was notably absent from the recent AWS press release, suggesting a complex competitive dynamic in the AI landscape.
Analysts view the addition of OpenAI’s models to the AWS platform as a promising initial step towards a deeper collaboration between the two companies, indicating mutual interest in exploring future opportunities.
