Seven AI companies signed the Pentagon’s terms. The one that refused is worth $900 billion.

The Pentagon signed classified AI agreements with Nvidia, Microsoft, AWS, and Reflection AI, bringing the total to seven companies (with SpaceX, OpenAI, and Google) operating on secret military networks under “lawful operational use” terms. The phrase deliberately replaces the safety restrictions Anthropic insisted on, which led to its ejection from Pentagon supply lines. The message: any AI company that sets limits on military use will be replaced by one that does not.

The Pentagon announced on 1 May that it has signed agreements with Nvidia, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, and Reflection AI for expanded use of advanced artificial intelligence on classified military networks. The deals bring the total number of companies with such agreements to seven, following similar arrangements with SpaceX, OpenAI, and Google, which signed its own classified AI deal earlier this week. All seven agreements permit “lawful operational use,” a phrase that the Defense Department statement describes as ...