Key Points
- Eight major tech firms including Google, Nvidia and OpenAI sign Pentagon AI deals
- Oracle joins initiative after initial announcement, shares rise 7 per cent
- Over 1.3 million Pentagon personnel already using department’s GenAI platform
The United States Department of War has signed agreements with eight major technology companies to deploy their artificial intelligence capabilities on classified military networks, marking a significant expansion of the Pentagon’s access to frontier AI systems.
The agreements, announced on Friday, include ChatGPT maker OpenAI, Alphabet’s Google, Nvidia, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, and Reflection AI. Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which owns xAI — the company behind the Grok AI chatbot — is also part of the arrangement.
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Shortly after the initial announcement, Emil Michael, the Pentagon’s Undersecretary for Research and Engineering and Chief Technology Officer, confirmed that Oracle had joined the initiative. Oracle’s shares rose approximately 7 per cent following the news during Friday trading in US markets.
What the deals cover
The Department of War said SpaceX, OpenAI, Google, Nvidia, Reflection, Microsoft and AWS will provide resources for both Impact Level 6 and Impact Level 7 environments. IL6 classification covers data that could cause serious damage to national security if disclosed, while IL7 extends to the most sensitive classified information requiring the highest security protocols.
The arrangement supports the Pentagon’s AI Acceleration Strategy, which aims to integrate AI capabilities across three areas: warfighting, intelligence operations and enterprise functions.
Michael described the initiative as part of a broader transformation. “This is just the latest initiative in our mandate to create an AI-first War Department,” he wrote on the social media platform X.
GenAI.mil, the department’s official AI platform, has already been used by more than 1.3 million defence personnel, according to the Pentagon. The platform demonstrates the scale at which the military is adopting generative AI tools for operational use.
Anthropic remains outside the arrangement
The deals highlight a contrast with Anthropic, the maker of the Claude AI chatbot, which has been in a legal dispute with the Pentagon. Anthropic, which counts Amazon and Google among its backers, sued the Department of Defense after the department dropped its contract with the company and designated it a supply chain risk.
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The dispute arose after Anthropic rejected the Pentagon’s demand for unrestricted access to its AI models. Anthropic’s recently unveiled Claude Mythos Preview model — which the company calls its most capable system for coding and autonomous tasks — is being dealt with separately across the US government.
Speaking to CNBC, Michael said the department would assess how to work with all the contracted AI models over the coming year. He emphasised that the Pentagon cannot rely on a single partner for AI capabilities, suggesting a deliberate strategy of maintaining multiple vendor relationships.
Some companies in the arrangement, including OpenAI and SpaceX, had existing preliminary agreements with the Department of Defense before the formalised deals were announced.
Your Questions, Answered
Which companies signed AI deals with the Pentagon?
OpenAI, Google, Nvidia, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, SpaceX (which owns xAI), Reflection AI and Oracle have signed agreements to deploy AI on the Pentagon’s classified networks.
What are Impact Level 6 and Impact Level 7 classifications?
IL6 covers classified data that could cause serious damage to national security if disclosed. IL7 extends to the most sensitive classified information requiring the highest security protocols for military operations.
Why is Anthropic not part of the Pentagon AI deals?
Anthropic is in a legal dispute with the Pentagon after rejecting demands for unrestricted access to its AI models. The department dropped its contract with the Claude chatbot maker and designated it a supply chain risk.
How many Pentagon personnel are using military AI tools?
Over 1.3 million Department of Defense personnel have used GenAI.mil, the Pentagon’s official AI platform, according to the department’s figures.