SEATTLE (dpa-AFX) - Amazon (AMZN) is exploring a potential partnership that could see OpenAI's artificial intelligence models integrated into products such as Alexa, according to people familiar with the discussions.
The talks form part of broader negotiations that may also include a substantial investment by Amazon in OpenAI, with figures said to reach as high as $50 billion, though no agreement has been finalized.
The conversations reportedly involve senior leadership on both sides and extend beyond consumer products. OpenAI could gain access to Amazon's AI infrastructure, including proprietary chips and large-scale computing resources, marking a possible shift away from its long-standing dependence on Microsoft's cloud.
For Amazon, the appeal lies in strengthening its wide-ranging AI strategy, particularly around Alexa. The voice assistant, first launched more than a decade ago, was refreshed last year with Alexa+, a more advanced version designed to keep pace with rivals such as ChatGPT and Google's Gemini. Alexa+ is built to be flexible, routing requests to different models depending on the task, and already relies on a mix of in-house systems and external providers for more complex interactions.
Anthropic's Claude currently handles many of those heavier workloads, reflecting Amazon's existing ties to multiple AI partners. Bringing OpenAI into the fold would further expand that ecosystem, while also placing OpenAI at the center of a complex web of alliances across consumer technology.
People close to the discussions suggest OpenAI views Amazon as a strong fit for its enterprise ambitions, especially as it accelerates its own hardware push following the acquisition of Jony Ive's AI-focused startup last year. While the outcome remains uncertain, the talks underscore how aggressively major tech players are positioning themselves around the next phase of artificial intelligence.
AMZN currently trades at $222.11 or 4.67% lower on the NasdaqGS.
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