AI partnership discussions linked to potential investment
OpenAI’s artificial intelligence models could soon play a larger role within Amazon, including powering parts of the company’s digital assistant Alexa and supporting other internal initiatives. Discussions around a technical collaboration are taking place alongside talks about a potential multibillion-dollar investment by Amazon into OpenAI, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The investment discussions, which could reach as much as $50 billion, have not been finalized and remain subject to change. Negotiations are being led directly by Amazon Chief Executive Andy Jassy and OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman.
Compute access and chips part of broader talks
As part of the proposed arrangement, OpenAI could also make use of Amazon’s AI chips and computing infrastructure. Such a structure would reflect a mutually beneficial setup, with Amazon gaining access to advanced AI models while OpenAI secures additional compute capacity to support its expanding enterprise ambitions.
Amazon declined to comment on the discussions. The existence of the potential partnership was first reported by The Information, while CNBC confirmed the talks on Wednesday.
Strategic implications for Alexa and e-commerce AI
For Amazon, deeper access to OpenAI’s models could strengthen artificial intelligence efforts across multiple divisions. Beyond Alexa, the company has invested heavily in AI-driven features within its e-commerce platform, including its shopping chatbot Rufus, which relies on internal models to respond to user queries.
Amazon last year introduced a revamped version of its long-standing Alexa assistant designed to compete more directly with advanced conversational tools such as ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini. The updated service, known as Alexa+, is described by Amazon as model agnostic, allowing it to draw on different AI systems depending on the task.
Existing model ecosystem adds complexity
Amazon already maintains a broad portfolio of AI partnerships and internal models. Anthropic’s Claude model currently handles many of Alexa+’s more complex requests, following Amazon’s $8 billion investment in the OpenAI rival. According to Amazon’s head of Alexa, Daniel Rausch, the majority of Alexa traffic is still routed through the company’s proprietary Nova models.
Rausch said Amazon operates more than 70 different AI models and works closely with a range of providers through its Bedrock platform, underscoring that any integration of OpenAI technology would coexist with an already diverse AI stack.
OpenAI balances partnerships amid device expansion
OpenAI is also managing other high-profile relationships, including its integration with Apple’s Siri voice assistant. Apple recently agreed to use Google’s Gemini models for parts of its upgraded Siri, adding another competitive dynamic to the AI assistant landscape.
According to people familiar with OpenAI’s strategy, a partnership with Amazon is viewed as more complementary to its enterprise growth plans than consumer-facing collaborations that could overlap with OpenAI’s own hardware ambitions.
Those ambitions have intensified following OpenAI’s acquisition of Jony Ive’s AI hardware startup, io, for roughly $6.4 billion last year, signaling a broader push into devices alongside software.
