Big Blue is going all in on OpenAI. IBM will push GPT-5.6, Codex, and ChatGPT Work through its global consulting business under a partnership announced August 13, giving the AI company a direct line into some of the world’s largest enterprises.
The centerpiece is a new OpenAI practice within IBM Consulting, staffed by employees who complete certification programs tied to OpenAI’s Codex, API, cybersecurity, and consultative solution credentials. A dedicated group of Forward Deployed Experts will train through OpenAI’s Partner Network to embed with clients.
IBM’s consulting platform, Consulting Advantage, is the vehicle for delivery. Its consultants will help clients in financial services, government, telecom, and retail put the models to work in core operations, with the two companies co-marketing the offerings and building industry-specific solutions.
Financial terms were not disclosed. The deal extends a pattern OpenAI has used before: teaming up with Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services to reach enterprise customers it cannot serve directly. For IBM, it deepens a model-agnostic strategy that pairs its in-house Granite models with third-party systems on watsonx, following a similar alliance with Anthropic last year.
IBM’s push comes at a delicate moment. The company cut its 2026 revenue forecast in July after disappointing quarterly results, and CEO Arvind Krishna has repeatedly argued that AI adoption complements, rather than erodes, demand for mainframes.
Security is a shared thread. In June, IBM joined OpenAI’s Daybreak Cyber Partner Program and began integrating OpenAI models with IBM Autonomous Security, its multi-agent cybersecurity service. This week’s announcement extends the relationship from security into the broader enterprise portfolio.
