Pentagon inks deals with Nvidia, Microsoft, and AWS to deploy AI on classified networks

After agreements with Google, SpaceX and OpenAI, the US Department of Defense said on Friday, the company signed agreements with Nvidia, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services and Reflection AI, allowing it to deploy its AI technology and models on its classified networks for “legal operational uses.”

“These agreements accelerate the transformation toward establishing the U.S. military as an AI-first combat force and will strengthen our warfighters’ ability to maintain decision superiority in all domains of warfare,” the statement read.

The deals come as the US Department of Defense has accelerated the diversification of AI suppliers in the wake of the controversial dispute with Anthropic over the terms of use of its AI models. The Pentagon wanted unrestricted use of Anthropic’s AI tools, but the AI ​​lab pushed for guardrails to prevent Anthropic’s technology from being used for domestic mass surveillance and autonomous weapons.

The two are currently battling it out in court, although Anthropic won an injunction in March against the Pentagon’s move to label the company as a “supply chain risk.”

“The Department will continue to build an architecture that prevents AI vendor lock-in and ensures long-term flexibility for the Joint Force,” the statement read. “Access to a diverse suite of AI capabilities from America’s resilient technology will give warfighters the tools they need to act with confidence and protect the nation from any threat.”

The DOD said the companies’ AI hardware and models will be deployed in Impact Level 6 (IL6) and Impact Level 7 (IL7) environments to “streamline data synthesis, increase situational understanding, and enhance warfighter decision-making.” IL6 and IL7 are high-level security classifications for data and information systems that are considered critical to national security and require that these systems be physically protected through strict access controls and audits.

The Pentagon said more than 1.3 million DOD personnel have used its secure enterprise platform for generative AI to date. GenAI.milthat provides access to large language models (LLMs) and other AI tools within government-approved cloud environments. It is designed to primarily assist with unclassified tasks such as research, document preparation, and data analysis.