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| Pentagon chooses Microsoft over Amazon for $10bn 'Jedi' contract | Pentagon chooses Microsoft over Amazon for $10bn 'Jedi' contract |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| The Pentagon has awarded a $10bn (£8bn) cloud-computing contract to Microsoft, following a heavily-scrutinised bidding process in which Amazon had been seen as the favourite. | The Pentagon has awarded a $10bn (£8bn) cloud-computing contract to Microsoft, following a heavily-scrutinised bidding process in which Amazon had been seen as the favourite. |
| The 10-year contract for the Joint Enterprise Defence Infrastructure, or Jedi, is aimed at making the US defence department more technologically agile. | The 10-year contract for the Joint Enterprise Defence Infrastructure, or Jedi, is aimed at making the US defence department more technologically agile. |
| Amazon's bid drew criticism from its rivals and US President Donald Trump. | Amazon's bid drew criticism from its rivals and US President Donald Trump. |
| The company on Friday said it was "surprised" by the decision. | The company on Friday said it was "surprised" by the decision. |
| A "detailed assessment purely on the comparative offerings" would "clearly lead to a different conclusion", it said. | A "detailed assessment purely on the comparative offerings" would "clearly lead to a different conclusion", it said. |
| In its statement, the Pentagon said all offers "were treated fairly". | In its statement, the Pentagon said all offers "were treated fairly". |
| What is Jedi? | What is Jedi? |
| The Department of Defense wants to replace its ageing computer networks with a single cloud system. | |
| Under the contract, Microsoft will provide artificial intelligence-based analysis and host classified military secrets among other services. | Under the contract, Microsoft will provide artificial intelligence-based analysis and host classified military secrets among other services. |
| It is hoped that Jedi will give the military better access to data and the cloud from battlefields. | It is hoped that Jedi will give the military better access to data and the cloud from battlefields. |
| Is the decision controversial? | Is the decision controversial? |
| Amazon had been considered the front-runner - until President Trump began questioning whether the process was fair. | Amazon had been considered the front-runner - until President Trump began questioning whether the process was fair. |
| In July he told reporters that he was getting "tremendous complaints about the contract with the Pentagon and Amazon". | In July he told reporters that he was getting "tremendous complaints about the contract with the Pentagon and Amazon". |
| He said other companies had told him that the contract "wasn't competitively bid" and that his administration would "take a very long look" at the process. | He said other companies had told him that the contract "wasn't competitively bid" and that his administration would "take a very long look" at the process. |
| Mr Trump has repeatedly criticised Amazon and its founder Jeff Bezos - who also owns the Washington Post newspaper - in the past. | Mr Trump has repeatedly criticised Amazon and its founder Jeff Bezos - who also owns the Washington Post newspaper - in the past. |
| How did we get here? | How did we get here? |
| The announcement marked the end of a long process that had pitted tech giants Microsoft, Amazon, Oracle and IBM against each other. | The announcement marked the end of a long process that had pitted tech giants Microsoft, Amazon, Oracle and IBM against each other. |
| As the world's biggest provider of cloud-computing services, Amazon had been the favourite to win Jedi. But its competitors argued that the process was unfair. | As the world's biggest provider of cloud-computing services, Amazon had been the favourite to win Jedi. But its competitors argued that the process was unfair. |
| Oracle challenged the bidding process in federal court earlier this year, saying that it was rigged to favour Amazon, but a federal judge dismissed the allegation. | Oracle challenged the bidding process in federal court earlier this year, saying that it was rigged to favour Amazon, but a federal judge dismissed the allegation. |
| What else does the Pentagon say? | What else does the Pentagon say? |
| It said that it had awarded more than $11bn in 10 separate cloud-computing contracts over the past two years. | It said that it had awarded more than $11bn in 10 separate cloud-computing contracts over the past two years. |
| The Jedi deal "continues our strategy of a multi-vendor, multi-cloud environment as the department's needs are diverse and cannot be met by any single supplier," it added. | The Jedi deal "continues our strategy of a multi-vendor, multi-cloud environment as the department's needs are diverse and cannot be met by any single supplier," it added. |
| Microsoft has not yet issued a statement. | Microsoft has not yet issued a statement. |