OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and AWS CEO Matt Garman Interview on Bedrock Managed Agents

With the revised contract between Microsoft and OpenAI, OpenAI can now offer products on other clouds, including AWS. Microsoft remains OpenAI's primary cloud partner, but the exclusive structure is gone, and exceptions have been created to the Azure-first principle.

The key points of the agreement are as follows.

• OpenAI products will still launch on Azure first by default, but if Microsoft cannot support the required capabilities, they can also be served on other clouds.
• Microsoft's license to OpenAI's IP continues until 2032 but becomes non-exclusive.
• The revenue share Microsoft had been paying to OpenAI will be discontinued.
• Instead, OpenAI's revenue share to Microsoft will continue with a total cap through 2030.

The centerpiece of the interview is Bedrock Managed Agents. AWS describes this as an OpenAI-based agent product that operates within AWS, aiming to let enterprises that already have their data and infrastructure on AWS attach agent workflows while reducing security and operational complexity. It was presented as an approach distinct from the existing AgentCore.

Both CEOs viewed AI as a platform shift similar to AWS's early days. Altman named AI as the fourth major platform after the internet, cloud, and mobile, and said that the speed at which startups grow their businesses with less capital and faster iteration has become much faster than in the past. In the latter part, they also discussed Trainium and the importance of chips, and why partnerships might allow for broader scalability compared to vertical integration.