IBM announced a partnership with OpenAI in August 2026 to bring OpenAI’s AI models and tools to enterprise customers through IBM’s global consulting business, as competition for corporate AI spending intensifies.
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. The training will cover 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, according to Mike Healy, managing partner at IBM Consulting.
IBM said it will integrate OpenAI’s latest models — including GPT-5.6, Codex, and ChatGPT Work — into IBM Consulting Advantage, its AI platform for consultants. The two companies will jointly market AI offerings and develop industry-specific solutions for sectors including financial services, government, telecommunications, and retail. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The partnership also expands a prior relationship between the two companies. In June 2026, IBM and OpenAI partnered on the cybersecurity-focused OpenAI Daybreak Cyber Partner Program. The new deal extends that collaboration by integrating OpenAI’s models with IBM Autonomous Security, the company’s multi-agent-powered cybersecurity service.
For IBM, the deal adds to a model-agnostic strategy that combines its own Granite AI models with third-party offerings through its watsonx platform. The agreement follows a similar alliance IBM announced with Anthropic less than a year ago. The partnership comes after IBM lowered its 2026 revenue forecast following weaker-than-expected quarterly results, with CEO Arvind Krishna describing AI as a long-term growth driver during the company’s last earnings call.
For OpenAI, the deal continues a pattern of working with large global systems integrators — including Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services — to reach enterprise customers at scale.
Source: TechCrunch