IBM and OpenAI Join Forces to Bring AI to Enterprise Operations at Scale

IBM announced a strategic partnership with OpenAI on August 13, to bring OpenAI's models and tools to enterprise clients through its global consulting business. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The agreement embeds OpenAI's latest models, including GPT-5.6, Codex, and ChatGPT Work, into IBM Consulting Advantage, the company's AI platform for delivering consulting services. 

IBM will establish a dedicated OpenAI Practice and retrain tens of thousands of existing consultants and engineers on OpenAI technologies over the coming months, with certifications spanning Codex, API, cybersecurity, and consultative solution credentials, according to the press release. 

A specialized group of Forward Deployed Experts, trained through the OpenAI Partner Network, will work directly with clients on implementation.

According to the press release, the partnership is structured around three priorities: transforming legacy operations into AI-ready workflows, application modernization and product development, and cybersecurity and AI risk management. 

On cybersecurity, OpenAI's capabilities will be combined with IBM Autonomous Security, the company's multi-agent service for coordinated threat detection and response. 

That builds on a prior collaboration through the OpenAI Daybreak Cyber Partner Program, announced in June 2026, making this an expansion of an existing relationship rather than an entirely new one.

"While enterprises are rapidly investing in AI, they are looking for practical ways to apply it across their core operations to deliver measurable business outcomes and create new commercial models," said Andy Baldwin, Global Senior Vice President at IBM Consulting.

The deal is the latest in OpenAI's broader push to grow its enterprise business through large global systems integrators, following similar arrangements with Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services. 

For IBM, the partnership extends a model-agnostic approach that already includes an alliance with Anthropic, announced less than a year ago. 

The company has positioned its watsonx platform and consulting business as an integrator of frontier AI models from multiple providers alongside its own Granite model family. 

The OpenAI deal widens that portfolio at a moment when IBM is looking to accelerate growth in its AI business following weaker-than-expected results in its most recent quarter, according to the company.

"IBM Consulting and OpenAI are helping organizations make that shift, combining deep transformation expertise to deploy AI that is secure, operational, and aligned with real business priorities," said Denise Dresser, Chief Revenue Officer at OpenAI.