IBM announced Thursday a new partnership with OpenAI to bring the AI company’s models and tools to more enterprise customers, deepening OpenAI’s reach into large corporations through IBM’s global consulting network. The deal, whose financial terms were not disclosed, comes less than a year after IBM struck a similar alliance with Anthropic, signaling IBM’s intent to position itself as a multi-model integrator rather than a single-vendor shop.
Under the agreement, IBM will establish a dedicated OpenAI practice within IBM Consulting and train and certify tens of thousands of consultants — primarily by retraining existing employees — on OpenAI’s technologies over the next several months, Mike Healy, managing partner at IBM Consulting, told TechCrunch. The training will focus on OpenAI’s Codex, API, cybersecurity, and consultative solution credentials. IBM will also create a group of specialized “Forward Deployed Experts” trained through OpenAI’s Partner Network.
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Expanding the enterprise AI battlefield
The partnership marks another step in OpenAI’s push to expand its enterprise business through consulting firms and technology partners, as competition among AI model developers increasingly shifts from building more capable models to winning corporate customers and large-scale deployments. OpenAI has previously announced partnerships with IT services firms including Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services, underscoring a strategy of working with large global systems integrators to bring its AI products to enterprise clients.
For IBM, the OpenAI agreement broadens its range of frontier AI partnerships as the company pursues a model-agnostic strategy that combines its own Granite family of AI models with offerings from third-party developers. IBM has increasingly positioned itself as an integrator of multiple AI models through its watsonx platform and global consulting business.
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The two companies will jointly market AI offerings and develop industry-specific solutions for sectors including financial services, government, telecommunications, and retail, IBM said. IBM will integrate OpenAI’s latest models, including GPT-5.6, Codex, and ChatGPT Work, into IBM Consulting Advantage, its AI platform for consultants, to help clients deploy AI across core business operations.
IBM’s growth push amid revised outlook
The partnership comes as IBM looks to accelerate growth in its AI business after lowering its 2026 revenue forecast last month following weaker-than-expected quarterly results. During its last earnings call, Chief Executive Arvind Krishna maintained that AI remains a long-term growth driver, stating that AI adoption was complementing, rather than replacing, demand for IBM’s mainframe business.
In June, IBM and OpenAI partnered for the cybersecurity-focused OpenAI Daybreak Cyber Partner Program. The new deal expands that relationship by integrating OpenAI’s AI models with IBM Autonomous Security, the company’s multi-agent-powered cybersecurity service.
The enterprise AI market is becoming increasingly crowded, with rivals like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon all vying for corporate AI spending. IBM’s strategy of offering multiple AI models through a single platform may appeal to businesses that want flexibility and avoid vendor lock-in, but it also means IBM must manage relationships with competing AI developers — a delicate balancing act as OpenAI and Anthropic vie for dominance.
For OpenAI, the IBM deal provides a direct channel to thousands of enterprise clients through IBM’s consulting arm, a significant advantage as the company competes with Anthropic and other model developers for lucrative corporate contracts. The training of tens of thousands of IBM consultants on OpenAI tools could also create a durable ecosystem of AI practitioners familiar with OpenAI’s platforms, potentially influencing procurement decisions for years to come.
Industry observers will be watching how quickly IBM can convert its consulting relationships into actual AI deployments, and whether the partnership can meaningfully boost IBM’s AI revenue in a competitive market. With IBM’s revised forecast still fresh, the company faces pressure to show that its AI investments translate into tangible growth.
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