Anthropic Offers Claude to US Gov for $1, Following OpenAI's Lead
In a significant move reshaping the landscape of artificial intelligence adoption within the U.S. federal government, Anthropic has announced it will offer its advanced Claude AI models to government agencies for a symbolic price of just $1. This development, reported on August 14, 2025, closely follows a similar initiative by OpenAI, which last week made its ChatGPT Enterprise available to the executive branch for the same nominal fee. The parallel offers underscore a burgeoning competition among leading AI developers to embed their technologies deeply within the nation’s critical public services.
The General Services Administration (GSA), the federal government’s centralized procurement division, is at the heart of this accelerating AI integration. Both Anthropic and OpenAI’s offerings are part of the GSA’s “OneGov” strategy and directly support President Donald Trump’s “America’s AI Action Plan,” a comprehensive initiative designed to solidify the United States’ position as the global leader in artificial intelligence. The plan emphasizes accelerating innovation, building robust AI infrastructure, and maintaining international leadership in AI diplomacy and security.
Anthropic’s agreement with the GSA will provide access to its Claude for Enterprise and Claude for Government models across all three branches of the federal government—executive, legislative, and judiciary—for up to a full year. The company has committed to providing continuous updates as new capabilities are released and will offer technical support to agencies, facilitating rapid integration of AI into their workflows to promote modernization and enhanced productivity. Notably, Claude for Government is designed to support FedRAMP High workloads and Department of Defense Impact Level 5 authorizations, ensuring its suitability for sensitive unclassified work and mission-critical operations. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei stated that this expanded access will help the federal workforce leverage frontier AI capabilities to “maintain our competitive advantage and better serve the American people”.
This strategic maneuver by Anthropic comes just days after OpenAI announced its partnership with the GSA, making ChatGPT Enterprise available to federal agencies for a $1 annual fee. OpenAI’s offering, initially targeting the entire federal executive branch workforce, also includes a new user community, introductory training, and 60 days of unlimited access to advanced models like Deep Research and Advanced Voice Mode. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, conveyed the company’s pride in the partnership, emphasizing that “one of the best ways to make sure AI works for everyone is to put it in the hands of the people serving our country”. This builds on OpenAI’s existing government engagements, including a significant $200 million contract with the U.S. Department of Defense to develop advanced AI capabilities for national security challenges and streamline administrative operations. Anthropic also secured a similar $200 million agreement with the DoD in July 2025.
The GSA’s push aims for widespread adoption of AI tools across the federal government, with GSA Federal Acquisition Service Commissioner Josh Gruenbaum noting that these agreements are “revolutionizing how the federal government acquires AI technology”. Beyond Anthropic and OpenAI, other major players like Google and xAI’s Grok are also participating in the GSA’s Multiple Award Schedule contracting platform, indicating a broader trend of AI heavyweights vying for influence in the public sector.
These low-cost, high-impact deals signify a pivotal moment for the integration of artificial intelligence into public service. By making cutting-edge AI accessible at a nominal fee, the U.S. government seeks to dramatically enhance efficiency, improve decision-making, and reduce administrative burdens across agencies. The rapid adoption of these sophisticated AI models, while carefully navigating concerns around security, data privacy, and ethical use, is central to the nation’s strategy to maintain its technological edge and deliver more effective services to its citizens.