OpenAI & AWS expand tie-up for enterprise AI tools

OpenAI and AWS have expanded their partnership to bring OpenAI models, Codex and Amazon Bedrock Managed Agents to AWS customers in a limited preview.

The arrangement gives AWS customers access to OpenAI tools inside existing AWS environments, including Amazon Bedrock. It is aimed at enterprises that want to build and run AI systems within their current security, compliance and procurement processes.

Models on Bedrock

As part of the rollout, OpenAI models, including GPT-5.5, will be available on Amazon Bedrock. Customers will be able to use them alongside AWS services, identity systems and security controls already in place across their organisations.

The move broadens the range of model providers available through Bedrock and gives companies another way to deploy OpenAI systems in the environments where their workloads already run. It is intended to provide a single path from testing to production deployment within AWS.

For developers, the setup is designed to support a range of uses, from new applications to AI features added to existing software. The models can also be used for agentic workflows that handle more complex business processes.

Codex rollout

Codex, OpenAI's coding product suite, is also being made available through AWS. More than 4 million people use Codex each week for tasks such as writing code, explaining systems, refactoring applications, generating tests and updating legacy software.

Its use is also expanding beyond coding to research, analysis and document-related tasks such as summarising source materials and producing briefs, slide decks and spreadsheets.

Under the new arrangement, organisations will be able to run Codex with OpenAI models served through Amazon Bedrock. Companies with an AWS commit and Bedrock access can start using Codex by configuring Bedrock as the provider.

Initial access will cover Codex CLI, the Codex desktop app and the Visual Studio Code extension through the Bedrock API. All customer data is processed by Amazon Bedrock, and eligible customers can count Codex usage towards AWS cloud commitments.

Managed agents

AWS and OpenAI are also introducing Amazon Bedrock Managed Agents powered by OpenAI. The service is aimed at enterprises that want to deploy agents in AWS environments without building all the surrounding infrastructure themselves.

The managed agent service is designed to support systems that retain context, carry out multi-step workflows, use tools and take action across business processes. It includes orchestration, deployment and governance features, along with integration into Amazon security and compliance controls.

The focus is on customers that want to move agent projects from early testing into production while keeping them aligned with internal operational standards. The launch comes as demand grows for enterprise AI tools offered within cloud providers' existing management frameworks.

Enterprise push

The expanded tie-up reflects a broader effort by AI companies and cloud providers to make advanced models easier to buy and deploy through established enterprise software channels. For OpenAI, the partnership provides another route into large corporate technology estates already standardised on AWS.

For AWS, adding OpenAI models and products to Bedrock could strengthen the appeal of its AI platform as customers weigh model choice, governance requirements and integration with existing systems. Competition in that market has intensified as businesses look for ways to use generative AI tools without creating separate infrastructure or procurement processes.

The combined offering covers application development, software engineering and agent-based workflows. The initial release remains in limited preview, suggesting wider commercial availability will be phased in as both companies test demand and deployment patterns.

The launch also highlights how coding tools have become a major part of the enterprise AI market. By linking Codex to Bedrock, OpenAI and AWS are targeting software teams that want AI assistance inside familiar development tools while keeping spending, access and governance tied to AWS accounts.

At the same time, the managed agents product points to growing demand for AI systems that can carry out sequences of work rather than simply answer prompts. Enterprises have shown interest in those systems, but many remain cautious about oversight, security and integration with existing business processes.

Customers can now build with OpenAI models in AWS alongside the services and workflows they already use. The partnership is focused on helping organisations deploy advanced AI at production scale.