OpenAI is acquiring Ona to expand the capabilities of Codex and enable AI agents to perform long-running tasks in secure cloud environments, the team announced Thursday.

The company said the deal will allow Codex to continue working on projects even after users leave a session, making it possible to delegate more complex assignments that unfold over hours or days.

“Enterprises want powerful agents that can do real work while meeting the security and control requirements of their environments. Ona will help us make Codex easier to deploy securely across production workflows for customers operating at the highest standards of trust and scale,” OpenAI’s Core Products Lead Thibault Sottiaux said.

Ona provides cloud-based environments that allow AI agents to work inside customer-controlled infrastructure with access to enterprise systems, credentials and workflows. As part of the agreement, the company will join the Codex team to help accelerate the development of cloud-based AI agents for enterprise software and knowledge work.

The announcement comes as usage of Ona’s platform has grown rapidly, with weekly agent sessions increasing 13-fold this year across customers including major financial institutions, pharmaceutical companies and sovereign wealth funds.

Ona said discussions with OpenAI convinced the company that combining its secure cloud execution technology with Codex’s AI capabilities would create greater value for customers than continuing independently.

The technology is expected to help enterprises deploy agents more confidently by providing greater control over access permissions, credentials, governance and operational oversight.

The transaction remains subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions, with the two companies continuing to operate independently until completion.