The Approved-Provider Regime
Which AI providers are pre-approved at OFFICIAL — and what to do about the rest.
The big idea
Under PSPF Advisory 001-2025, the approved set is 18 providers: 16 Hosting Certification Framework (HCF) Certified Service Providers, plus OpenAI and Anthropic directly. These are pre-approved (no extra FOCI assessment). Every other provider must first undergo a Foreign Ownership, Control or Influence (FOCI) risk assessment under PSPF Direction 001-2024. The approved-provider question often matters more than which model brand you prefer.
Key insight: It's the provider's certification — not the model's reputation — that decides whether a tool is pre-approved. The brand of model matters less than whether the provider is one of the 18, or has passed a FOCI assessment.
What you'll see
The 18 approved providers and the FOCI pathway for everyone else.
How approval works
The regime in four parts. Tap to expand.