IBM on Thursday announced a partnership with OpenAI to make the AI company’s models and tools available to more enterprise customers, giving OpenAI another route to reach major corporations through IBM’s global consulting business as competition for corporate AI spending intensifies.

The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The partnership comes less than a year after IBM announced a similar alliance with Anthropic.

Under the new agreement, IBM and OpenAI will jointly market AI solutions and develop industry-specific applications for sectors including financial services, government, telecommunications and retail.

Under the agreement, IBM will create a dedicated OpenAI practice within its consulting division and train and certify tens of thousands of consultants on OpenAI’s technologies over the coming months, according to IBM Consulting managing partner Mike Healy.

Healy told TechCrunch that the initiative will primarily involve retraining existing employees, with training covering OpenAI’s Codex, API, cybersecurity and consultative solution credentials.

IBM will also establish a team of specialised “Forward Deployed Experts” trained through OpenAI’s Partner Network.