TL;DR
OpenAI and Microsoft announced an amended partnership on April 27, 2026, making Microsoft’s OpenAI IP license non-exclusive and allowing OpenAI products to run across any cloud provider. The update follows years of debate over an AGI clause that once tied access and revenue terms to whether OpenAI had achieved artificial general intelligence.
OpenAI and Microsoft amended their partnership on April 27, 2026, allowing OpenAI to serve products across any cloud provider and making Microsoft’s license to OpenAI model and product IP non-exclusive through 2032, a change that alters how a disputed AGI-related contract structure interacts with one of the AI industry’s largest capital commitments.
The companies said in matching statements that Microsoft remains OpenAI’s primary cloud partner and that OpenAI products will ship first on Azure unless Microsoft cannot, and chooses not to, support the needed capabilities. OpenAI said revenue-share payments to Microsoft will continue through 2030 at the same percentage, but will now be subject to a total cap and will be independent of OpenAI’s technology progress.
That wording matters because prior versions of the partnership made artificial general intelligence a contract trigger. In October 2025, Microsoft said its exclusive IP rights and Azure API exclusivity would continue until AGI, and that any OpenAI declaration of AGI would be checked by an independent expert panel. In February 2026, Microsoft and OpenAI said the contractual AGI definition and process were unchanged.
Earlier reporting by TechCrunch, citing The Information, said Microsoft and OpenAI had agreed to a financial test under which OpenAI would be considered to have achieved AGI only when its systems could generate at least $100 billion in profits. That figure has not been confirmed in the companies’ public April 2026 statement, and the full contract has not been published.
Why It Matters
The amended deal gives both companies more room to act separately while keeping a close commercial relationship. For OpenAI, the change widens distribution options at a time when AI systems require large amounts of compute and power. For Microsoft, the deal preserves access to OpenAI IP through 2032 while moving from exclusive control toward a broader shareholder and platform position.
The change also affects how investors, customers, and rivals read the AGI clause. A technical milestone that is hard to define was carrying commercial consequences for cloud hosting, model access, and revenue flow. By tying revenue sharing to dates, caps, and non-exclusive rights, the companies have made the business arrangement less dependent on a future AGI determination.
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Background
Microsoft began investing in OpenAI in 2019 and later became its main cloud and commercial partner. In October 2025, Microsoft said it held an investment in OpenAI Group PBC valued at about $135 billion, equal to roughly 27 percent on an as-converted diluted basis after recapitalization.
The same October 2025 agreement said OpenAI had contracted to buy an additional $250 billion of Azure services and that Microsoft would no longer have a right of first refusal to be OpenAI’s compute provider. It also allowed Microsoft to pursue AGI independently or with third parties.
The April 2026 amendment followed a February 2026 joint statement that said OpenAI’s Amazon-related activity fit within the existing partnership and that Azure remained the exclusive cloud provider for stateless OpenAI APIs at that time. The April update went further by saying OpenAI can now serve all products to customers across any cloud provider.
“OpenAI can now serve all its products to customers across any cloud provider.”
— OpenAI and Microsoft, April 27, 2026 joint statement
“Microsoft’s license will now be non-exclusive.”
— OpenAI and Microsoft, April 27, 2026 joint statement
“AGI definition and processes are unchanged.”
— Microsoft and OpenAI, February 27, 2026 joint statement
“Once AGI is declared by OpenAI, that declaration will now be verified by an independent expert panel.”
— Microsoft, October 28, 2025 partnership statement
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What Remains Unclear
The companies have not published the full amended contract, so it is not clear which AGI-related provisions remain outside the public summary. The April 27 statement does not say whether the reported $100 billion profit test is still part of any private agreement. It is also unclear how the revenue-share cap is calculated, because the companies did not disclose the cap amount in their public notice.
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What’s Next
The next tests are commercial rather than theoretical: how much OpenAI workload moves beyond Azure, how Microsoft uses its non-exclusive OpenAI license through 2032, and whether any future AGI claim is still handled through the independent-panel process described in 2025. Investors will also watch whether fixed revenue-sharing terms and broader cloud access make OpenAI’s capital needs easier to finance.
Source: Thorsten Meyer AI
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Key Questions
What changed in the OpenAI-Microsoft deal?
OpenAI can now serve all products across any cloud provider, while Microsoft keeps a non-exclusive license to OpenAI model and product IP through 2032. Revenue-share payments from OpenAI to Microsoft continue through 2030, with a total cap.
Does this mean the AGI clause is gone?
The public April 2026 statement does not publish the full contract or say every AGI-related term was removed. It does say revenue sharing is now independent of OpenAI’s technology progress, reducing the commercial role of an AGI trigger.
What was the reported $100 billion AGI test?
TechCrunch, citing The Information, reported in December 2024 that OpenAI and Microsoft had a contract definition under which AGI would be reached when OpenAI systems could generate at least $100 billion in profits. The companies have not publicly confirmed that full test in the April 2026 amendment.
Why does cloud access matter here?
Advanced AI systems require large compute capacity. Letting OpenAI serve products outside Azure gives it more room to work with other cloud providers while Microsoft remains its primary cloud partner.
What happens if OpenAI claims AGI?
Under the October 2025 public terms, any OpenAI AGI declaration would be reviewed by an independent expert panel. The April 2026 statement does not explain whether that process has changed.
Source: Thorsten Meyer AI
