Just a week after OpenAI offered its ChatGPT Enterprise to all US federal executive branch agencies for just $1 per year, Anthropic has made a bigger play.
On Tuesday, Anthropic announced it would also provide its AI tools to government agencies for $1, but with a twist: the offer covers all three branches of the US government, executive, legislative, and judiciary, not just the executive branch. The deal lasts for one year.
This move follows the recent addition of OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google DeepMind to the General Services Administration’s list of approved AI vendors for civilian agencies.
It’s a clear attempt by Anthropic to outmaneuver OpenAI and strengthen its position in the federal market.
Anthropic says the US public sector should have access to top-tier AI to solve tough problems, whether in science, public services, or other areas.
Its offer includes two products: Claude for Enterprise and Claude for Government. The latter meets FedRAMP High standards, a strict federal security requirement for handling sensitive but unclassified data.
This means federal employees can use Claude for secure work without worrying about data risks.
The company will also give agencies technical support to help them integrate AI into their day-to-day operations.
Anthropic already works with the Department of Defense, having been granted part of a $200 million budget alongside OpenAI, xAI, and Google to develop AI for national security.
It also has real-world deployments in other areas. For example, at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, to speed up scientific research, and with Washington D.C’s Department of Health, to make health services more accessible in multiple languages.
One possible advantage for Anthropic is multicloud access. Agencies can use Claude via AWS, Google Cloud, or Palantir, allowing more control over where and how their data is stored.
OpenAI’s current FedRAMP High option is tied to Microsoft’s Azure Government Cloud, which is widely used but less flexible.
Some agencies may prefer Anthropic’s approach for reasons like data sovereignty and operational control.
OpenAI is reportedly working to move beyond Azure to adopt a more flexible, multi-platform setup, but Anthropic seems to have a head start in that area.
