Perplexity Earns First FedRAMP 20x Class C Certification

The AI company becomes the first to receive a fully compliant Class C certification under the federal cloud security program.

Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Cybersecurity

Isometric editorial illustration of a row of dark server cabinets with amber status lights in a cool, even-lit data hall, with a brass security seal on one door. — Perplexity became the first AI company to earn a fully compliant FedRAMP 20x Class C certification, clearing federal agencies including the General Services Administration and the Department of Agriculture to use its Enterprise and API Platform. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Perplexity, an artificial intelligence company, has earned the first fully compliant FedRAMP 20x Class C certification. The approval allows the General Services Administration and the Department of Agriculture to use the Perplexity Enterprise and API Platform.

Why it matters

Class C is most aligned with FedRAMP's former moderate classification, signaling a faster route for cloud products to clear federal security review. The Office of Management and Budget had required FedRAMP to speed up its processes, and the certification reflects that push.

Under the FedRAMP 20x model, products are measured by Key Security Indicators rather than narrative documentation. Seven Class A certifications are in place, 12 Class B certifications are in the pilot phase, and nearly 100 products have begun the process.

The players

Perplexity

Perplexity is an artificial intelligence company that has earned the first fully compliant FedRAMP 20x Class C certification.

FedRAMP

The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program is the U.S. government program that certifies the security of cloud products used by federal agencies.

General Services Administration

The General Services Administration is a federal agency that procures goods and services for the U.S. government and is now authorized to use Perplexity's platform.

The details

Perplexity's Class C certification allows federal agencies including the General Services Administration and the Department of Agriculture to deploy its Enterprise and API Platform. The FedRAMP Consolidated Rules for 2026 were released over the summer alongside the opening of the 20x pipeline.

Summer 2026: FedRAMP Consolidated Rules for 2026 released and 20x pipeline opened.
August 2026: Class A certifications began rolling out.
October 27, 2026: Perplexity's Class C certification announced.

Roadmap

The certification follows a federal directive that pushed FedRAMP to shorten its review timelines, more than two years after the memo was issued. FedRAMP now aims to vet thousands of cloud products under the streamlined pipeline.

Federal agencies can now use Perplexity Enterprise and API Platform, meaning government workers may gain access to AI tools previously restricted by certification status. The faster 20x pipeline may also shorten the time before other cloud products reach federal users.

The takeaway

Faster federal certification pipelines can accelerate which cloud tools reach government users. Readers following federal technology adoption should watch how many Class B and Class C certifications follow in the coming months.