OpenAI has new, smaller open models to take on DeepSeek - and they'll be available on AWS for the first time

• OpenAI’s new models run efficiently on minimal hardware, but haven’t been independently tested for workloads
• The models are designed for edge use cases where full-scale infrastructure isn’t always available
• Apache 2.0 licensing may encourage broader experimentation in regions with strict data requirements

OpenAI has released two open-weight models, gpt-oss-120B and gpt-oss-20B, positioning them as direct challengers to offerings like DeepSeek-R1 and other large language learning models (LLMs) currently shaping the AI ecosystem.

These models are now available on AWS through its Amazon Bedrock and Amazon SageMaker AI platforms.

This marks OpenAI’s entry into the open-weight model segment, a space that until now has been dominated by competitors such as Mistral AI and Meta.

OpenAI and AWS

The gpt-oss-120B model runs on a single 80 GB GPU, while the 20B version targets edge environments with only 16 GB of memory required.

OpenAI claims both models deliver strong reasoning performance, matching or exceeding its o4-mini model on key benchmarks.

However, external evaluations are not yet available, leaving actual performance across varied workloads open to scrutiny.

What distinguishes these models is not only their size, but also the license.

Released under Apache 2.0, they are intended to lower access barriers and support broader AI development, particularly in high-security or resource-limited environments.

According to OpenAI, this move aligns with its broader mission to make artificial intelligence tools more widely usable across industries and geographies.

On AWS, the models are integrated into enterprise infrastructure via Amazon Bedrock AgentCore, enabling the creation of AI agents capable of performing complex workflows.

OpenAI suggests these models are suitable for tasks like code generation, scientific reasoning, and multi-step problem-solving, especially where adjustable reasoning and chain-of-thought outputs are required.

Their 128K context window also supports longer interactions, such as document analysis or technical support tasks.

The models also integrate with developer tooling, supporting platforms like vLLM, llama.cpp, and Hugging Face.

With features like Guardrails and upcoming support for custom model import and knowledge bases, OpenAI and AWS are pitching this as a developer-ready foundation for building scalable AI applications.

Still, the release feels partly strategic, positioning OpenAI as a key player in open model infrastructure, while also tethering its technology more closely to Amazon Web Services, a dominant force in cloud computing.

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