Amazon Q1 Net Sales Up 17% and AWS Gains OpenAI Model Rights
Amazon reported Q1 2026 net sales rose 17% to $181.5 billion while AWS revenue climbed 28% to $37.6 billion, driven by heavy AI investments. With Microsoft’s OpenAI license expiring, AWS gains rights to offer OpenAI models, leveraging Amazon’s $50 billion OpenAI stake to boost its AI cloud leadership.
1. Q1 2026 Earnings and AWS Growth
Amazon posted Q1 2026 net sales up 17% to $181.5 billion and saw AWS revenue climb 28% to $37.6 billion. Growth was supported by its $11.57 billion Globalstar acquisition for satellite connectivity and a robust AI spending plan.
2. AWS Opens OpenAI Model Access
Following the expiration of Microsoft’s exclusive OpenAI license, AWS will now offer OpenAI models on its platform. This builds on Amazon’s $50 billion investment in OpenAI and strengthens AWS’s competitive position in AI-driven cloud services.