Microsoft to expand Pentagon ties with US$10bil JEDI contract

FILE PHOTO: Visitors stand in front of a display screen at Microsoft's new Oxford Circus store ahead of its opening in London, Britain July 9, 2019. REUTERS/Simon Dawson/File Photo

WASHINGTON: Microsoft Corp. said it’s seeking to expand its partnership with the Pentagon after winning the sought-after JEDI cloud computing contract valued at as much as $10 billion over a decade, dealing a blow to the market leader Amazon.com Inc.

The decision, which was announced by the Defense Department late Friday, may be challenged by Amazon, which was the front-runner, according to a person familiar with the matter, because President Donald Trump weighed in on the bidding process. The terms of the competition were also hotly contested by another rival, Oracle Corp.