Data Centers Now Attract More Investment Than Oil

Databricks Will Bake OpenAI Models Into Its Products In $100M Bet To Spur Enterprise Adoption

Databricks will bake OpenAI models into its products in a bold $100 million bet to spur enterprise adoption. The move reflects the growing demand for AI solutions that can integrate seamlessly with corporate data while keeping security front and center.

Image Credits:Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto / Getty Images

The company announced it will incorporate OpenAI’s cutting-edge models — including GPT-5 — into its data platform and AI product, Agent Bricks, as part of a multi-year agreement. The partnership positions OpenAI’s most advanced technology at the core of Databricks’ enterprise offerings.

Why Databricks Is Making A $100M AI Bet

This $100M commitment underscores how critical generative AI has become for enterprise software. Businesses are eager for tools that help them build, deploy, and scale AI agents on their private data, and Databricks sees OpenAI as the partner to deliver on that promise.

Agent Bricks already allows organizations to build custom AI apps using a mix of models. By adding GPT-5 as a flagship option, Databricks gives its customers direct access to OpenAI’s most powerful model yet — via SQL or API.

Building Smarter AI Apps With Agent Bricks

The integration goes beyond simply plugging in models. Agent Bricks can now evaluate how different AI models perform across enterprise tasks, fine-tuning them for better accuracy and tailored outputs.

Earlier this summer, Databricks introduced open-weight OpenAI models like gpt-oss 20B and gpt-oss 120B. With this new partnership, customers can mix and match across multiple options, ensuring flexibility while staying within a secure enterprise environment.

OpenAI’s Enterprise Play

“Bringing our most advanced models to where secure enterprise data already lives makes it easier for businesses to experiment, deploy, and scale AI agents with real impact,” said Brad Lightcap, COO of OpenAI.

The guaranteed $100M deal offers OpenAI predictable revenue as it ramps up investment in data centers. For Databricks, it’s a calculated risk — paying out whether or not OpenAI’s models hit the $100M mark in enterprise usage.

What This Means For The AI Race

Neither company revealed the length of the deal, but its structure shows how competitive the AI enterprise market has become. If revenues exceed $100M, OpenAI benefits further. If not, Databricks shoulders the downside while betting on customer adoption.

This partnership illustrates the broader shift: enterprises want AI that blends into their workflows, supports compliance, and offers flexibility. By baking OpenAI models directly into its ecosystem, Databricks is positioning itself as a go-to platform for enterprise AI innovation.