The Pentagon has signed deals with Nvidia, Microsoft and AWS to deploy AI systems on classified military networks.
The Defense Department announced the partnerships this week, marking its broadest push yet to bring commercial AI capabilities into classified environments. The three companies will provide cloud computing infrastructure and AI chips to power defense-specific applications. The move follows a high-profile dispute with AI startup Anthropic over terms of use for its models. DOD officials said the expanded vendor base reduces risk from depending on any single provider.
Classified networks process some of the military's most sensitive data, from intelligence reports to weapons systems. Putting commercial AI there means the Pentagon is betting on these companies' technology for actual defense operations — not just experiments. The deals are worth a combined $2.3 billion over five years, making this one of the DOD's largest AI infrastructure investments to date.
The Anthropic dispute apparently prompted this diversification. Whether three big vendors is enough to avoid future lock-in is another question.