Microsoft today announced the availability of Azure OpenAI Service for government customers. This new service will enable government agencies to improve efficiency, enhance productivity, and unlock new insights from their data.
Bringing Azure OpenAI Service for government customers is not an easy task as large language models that power AI tools are running in the public commercial cloud. To bring it to government customers, Microsoft developed a new architecture that enables government agencies to securely access the large language models in the commercial environment from Azure Government allowing those users to maintain the stringent security requirements necessary for government cloud operations.
Azure Government peers directly with the commercial Azure network and doesn’t peer directly with the public internet or the Microsoft corporate network.
Azure Government customers (United States federal, state, and local government or their partners), can now use the Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service through purpose-built, AI-optimized infrastructure providing access to OpenAI’s advanced generative models. Interested Azure Government customers can sign-up for Azure OpenAI Service access here.
