OpenAI has been awarded a $200,000 contract with the Defense Department, a move which the DOD said will center on the development of “prototype frontier AI capabilities to address critical national security challenges in both warfighting and enterprise domains.”
“The work will be primarily performed in the National Capital Region with an estimated completion date of July 2026,” the DOD explained.
OpenAI wrote in a blog post that the contract falls under its new OpenAI for Government initiative. “We’re supporting the U.S. government’s efforts in adopting best-in-class technology and deploying these tools in service of the public good,” the company wrote. “Our goal is to unlock AI solutions that enhance the capabilities of government workers, help them cut down on the red tape and paperwork, and let them do more of what they come to work each day to do: serve the American people.”
The Defense Department is the first partner in the new effort.
“This contract, with a $200 million ceiling, will bring OpenAI’s industry-leading expertise to help the Defense Department identify and prototype how frontier AI can transform its administrative operations, from improving how service members and their families get health care, to streamlining how they look at program and acquisition data, to supporting proactive cyber defense,” OpenAI noted, going on to describe its goals of improving the “both the day-to-day experience of public service and to help government employees feel more empowered, more efficient, and more supported in their critical missions.”
OpenAI is also involved in the AI infrastructure program, the Stargate Project, with President Trump.
