IBM partners with OpenAI to bolster enterprise AI push

The agreement, the terms of which remain undisclosed, signifies a significant move by IBM to bolster its AI offerings, following a similar alliance with Anthropic announced less than a year prior. Under the new deal, IBM will establish a specialized OpenAI practice within its consulting division. The company plans to retrain and certify tens of thousands of its existing consultants on OpenAI's technologies, including its Codex, API, and cybersecurity applications, over the coming months. Mike Healy, managing partner at IBM Consulting, detailed that IBM would also form a group of "Forward Deployed Experts" through OpenAI's Partner Network.

IBM intends to incorporate OpenAI's latest models, such as GPT-5.6, Codex, and ChatGPT Work, into its AI platform, IBM Consulting Advantage. This integration is designed to assist clients in deploying AI across their core business operations. The partnership aligns with OpenAI's broader strategy to expand its enterprise footprint by collaborating with consulting firms and technology partners, a move that intensifies competition in the corporate AI market.

For IBM, this alliance complements its model-agnostic approach, which combines its proprietary Granite AI models with third-party offerings. The company has been positioning itself as an integrator of various AI models through its watsonx platform and consulting services. This partnership also comes at a time when IBM is focused on accelerating growth in its AI business, particularly after a recent downward revision of its 2026 revenue forecast. IBM's Chief Executive Arvind Krishna has emphasized AI as a long-term growth driver.

Furthermore, the collaboration builds upon a previous partnership between IBM and OpenAI focused on cybersecurity. The new agreement will integrate OpenAI's AI models with IBM Autonomous Security, IBM's multi-agent-powered cybersecurity service, thereby enhancing its capabilities.