OpenAI will acquire Ona to strengthen Codex's cloud execution capabilities, driving AI agents to work autonomously over extended periods

Odaily reports that OpenAI has officially announced the acquisition of Ona, a cloud execution platform for developers. The specific acquisition amount has not been disclosed. Ona's secure cloud execution and task orchestration technology will be integrated into OpenAI's rapidly expanding Codex ecosystem, further enhancing the long-running capabilities of AI agents in software development and knowledge work scenarios. Currently, over 5 million people per week use Codex for research, analysis, building, and task automation, representing a 400% increase compared to earlier this year. Initially targeting software developers, Codex has now expanded to support users throughout the entire process, from raising requirements to completing complex tasks.

As AI agent capabilities improve, OpenAI believes that more high-value tasks in the future will last for hours or even days, rather than being limited to single sessions. By integrating Ona's technology, Codex will be able to continue running after users shut down their devices, allowing users to remotely view progress, provide instructions, make decisions, and review results.

OpenAI stated that, in the future, enterprise deployment of AI agents will require not only powerful model capabilities but also security, governance, and operational control. Ona's customer-managed execution model will allow enterprises to control where agents run, access permissions, credential scopes, operational logs, and workflow review mechanisms, while OpenAI provides the underlying intelligence and task orchestration capabilities. This acquisition will further drive Codex's evolution from a single-device, single-session tool into a long-running AI agent platform designed for enterprise production environments.