The Pentagon is inking deals with Nvidia, Microsoft, and AWS to deploy AI on classified networks

After striking agreements with Google, SpaceX and OpenAI, the US Department of Defense said on Friday that it had signed deals with Nvidia, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services and Reflection AI that allow them to deploy AI technologies and models on their classified networks for “lawful operational use.”

“These agreements accelerate the shift toward establishing the United States Army as an AI-first warfighting force and will enhance our warfighters’ ability to maintain decision-making superiority in all domains of warfare,” the statement said.

These deals come as the US Department of Defense accelerates the diversification of its AI vendors following its 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 insisted on guardrails to prevent Anthropic’s technology from being used for domestic mass surveillance and autonomous weapons.

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

“The Department will continue to build an architecture that prevents lock-in of AI vendors and ensures long-term resiliency for the joint force,” the statement said. “Access to a variety of AI capabilities across America’s resilient technology stack will give warfighters the tools they need to operate with confidence and protect the nation from any threat.”

The DoD said the companies’ AI devices and models will be deployed in Impact Level 6 (IL6) and Impact Level 7 (IL7) environments to “simplify data collection, elevate situational understanding, and augment decision-making in warfare.” IL6 and IL7 are high-level security classifications for data and information systems that are critical to national security and require that these systems be physically protected, with stringent access and audit controls.

The Pentagon said more than 1.3 million DoD employees have so far used its secure enterprise platform for generative AI, GenAI.mil, which provides access to large language models (LLMs) and other AI tools within government-approved cloud environments. It is designed to primarily assist with non-confidential tasks such as research, document drafting, and data analysis.