OpenAI is turning to the channel to bring its frontier models and products to a wider, global market. The OpenAI Partner Network is a new program for partners around the world to build, sell, and deliver AI solutions with OpenAI. That includes an initial investment of $150 million “to support this ecosystem and help partners bring the benefits of AI to more organizations more quickly.”
The move follows rival Anthropic’s unveiling of its Claude Partner Network in March and recent moves to beef up its partner program.
“Helping every organization adopt OpenAI and turn them into measurable impact requires an ecosystem of trusted partners with deep industry expertise, global delivery capacity, and customer relationships,” said the company.
The Partner Network launches with a select group of global partners with AI leadership across systems integration, management consulting, technology, and data. Initial partners include Accenture, Agilent, Bain, BCG, Eliza, McKinsey and PwC. The AI company also aims to train and enable 300,000 certified consultants by the end of 2026.
Partners can progress through three tiers: Select, Advanced, and Elite, each with a bar for sales performance, technical capability, co-sell engagement, and deployment experience. As the platform evolves, partners will also be able to earn specializations that signal deeper expertise in high-impact areas such as Codex, cybersecurity, and agents. These specializations are designed to help customers identify partners with proven capabilities in the areas that matter most to their AI transformation, while giving partners a clearer path to build expertise, stay current with OpenAI’s rapid product delivery cycles, and bring more targeted solutions to market.
OpenAI said it expects the Partner Network to evolve into a diverse set of organizations with complementary strengths. Some partners help customers define strategy and redesign operating models, while others integrate AI into complex technology environments, build industry-specific solutions, modernize data foundations, or help organizations manage change across global workforces, OpenAI explained.
“This ecosystem-led approach is central to how we believe AI will create value,” said the company. “No single company can deliver every solution, in every market, for every customer. By working with partners, OpenAI can help more organizations access AI in ways that are practical, trusted, and aligned to their needs.”
