Cohere Launches North AI Agent Platform for Secure Enterprise Deployment

Key Points

  • North runs on private infrastructure, including on‑premise hardware, hybrid clouds, VPCs or air‑gapped environments.
  • The platform can operate with as few as two GPUs, enabling deployment in modest server closets.
  • Security features include granular access control, autonomy policies, continuous red‑team testing and third‑party audits.
  • Compliance with GDPR, SOC‑2 and ISO 27001 makes North suitable for regulated sectors.
  • Built on Cohere’s Command and Compass technologies, offering chat, search and document‑creation functions.
  • All AI responses provide citations and reasoning trails for auditability.
  • Integrates with Gmail, Slack, Salesforce, Outlook, Linear and any MCP server for custom applications.
  • Early pilots involve major organizations such as RBC, Dell, LG and Palantir.
  • Cohere has raised $970 million and recently acquired Ottogrid to enhance market‑research automation.

Cohere’s new AI agent platform, North, promises to keep enterprise data secure
Content image from Cohere’s new AI agent platform, North, promises to keep enterprise data secure

Secure Private Deployment

Cohere introduced North as an AI agent platform that can be installed on a customer’s own infrastructure, eliminating the need to rely on public cloud services like Azure or AWS. The system is capable of running on on‑premise servers, hybrid cloud setups, virtual private clouds or even air‑gapped environments, and it can function with as few as two GPUs, allowing deployment in modest hardware closets.

Robust Security and Compliance

North is built with a suite of security features, including granular access control, agent autonomy policies, continuous red‑team testing and third‑party security assessments. The platform meets international compliance standards such as GDPR, SOC‑2 and ISO 27001, positioning it for use in regulated industries and government agencies that demand strict data protection.

Enterprise‑Focused AI Capabilities

The platform leverages Cohere’s existing Command family of generative models and the Compass multimodal search stack. North provides chat and search functions that can answer support queries, summarize meeting transcripts, generate marketing copy and retrieve information from internal resources and the web. Every response includes citations and a reasoning chain, enabling users to audit and verify outputs.

Productivity Automation

Beyond simple Q&A, North can create assets such as tables, documents and slide decks, and conduct market research tasks. It integrates with common workplace tools like Gmail, Slack, Salesforce, Outlook and Linear, and can connect to Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers for industry‑specific or in‑house applications.

Early Adoption and Funding

Cohere, which has raised $970 million at a $5.5 billion valuation, has already piloted North with customers including RBC, Dell, LG, Ensemble Health Partners and Palantir. The company’s recent acquisition of Ottogrid, a platform for automating high‑level market research, complements North’s asset‑creation capabilities.

Source: techcrunch.com