Cohere launches North 2 enterprise AI platform with agent orchestration

Cohere has launched North 2, an updated enterprise AI platform designed to orchestrate multi-step agent workflows with enhanced control and memory. To address common enterprise challenges like runaway costs and inaccurate context, North 2 introduces granular admin controls, session memory, and shared knowledge libraries. The model-agnostic platform can run on-premises, in the cloud, or in air-gapped environments, positioning Cohere to compete directly with Microsoft and Anthropic.

Evolution and adoption of North

• ▪Cohere is targeting government agencies and regulated industries with North 2, competing with Aleph Alpha, which Cohere acquired in April 2026
• ▪Enterprise technology companies LG CNS and Bell Cyber are already running Cohere's North 2 platform in production
• ▪Cohere first announced the original North platform in January 2025 as a secure workspace to challenge Microsoft Copilot and Google Vertex AI
• ▪Cohere launched North 2, an updated version of its enterprise AI agent platform featuring a redesigned orchestration system to run complex multi-step processes

Agent creation and collaboration capabilities

• ▪Cohere's North 2 platform connects to external enterprise tools including Slack, SharePoint, and Jira
• ▪Cohere's North 2 platform allows users to build agents, automations, presentations, dashboards, and simple applications directly from text prompts
• ▪Cohere's North 2 platform includes shared knowledge libraries and reusable skills so employees do not have to rebuild the same logic for different agents

Context retention and memory features

• ▪Cohere's North 2 platform introduces a memory feature that allows AI agents to retain context across sessions rather than starting cold each time
• ▪A July 2026 VB Pulse survey found that 68% of enterprises traced a confidently wrong AI agent answer to missing or inconsistent business context

Cost management and Administration controls

• ▪Cohere's North Admin tool integrates with existing identity and access management systems and allows usage data to be exported to a customer's analytics systems
• ▪Cohere's North 2 platform introduces North Admin, allowing administrators to set user quotas, token spend limits, and flow control tiers to manage agent costs
• ▪A July 2026 VB Pulse survey found that 21% of enterprises use only reactive monitoring for AI agent spend, lacking real-time programmatic controls
• ▪Microsoft Copilot Studio, ChatGPT Enterprise, and Claude Enterprise have all added their own platform-specific spend and usage controls

Deployment flexibility and model integration

• ▪Cohere's North 2 platform can be deployed on-premises, in the cloud, or in fully air-gapped environments
• ▪Cohere's North 2 platform is model-agnostic, allowing customers to run Cohere's own models or plug in other models they already use

Enterprise adoption of agentic orchestration

• ▪In VB Pulse's July 2026 agentic orchestration survey, only 3% of respondents reported that none of their deployed agents were genuinely orchestrated workflows
• ▪In VB Pulse's July 2026 agentic orchestration survey, Microsoft led as the primary platform for agentic orchestration at 41%, followed by Anthropic's Claude platform at 28%

Debatable claims

• ▪AI agents no longer require human oversight for operational decision-making
• ▪Air-gapped deployment is the most effective way to secure sensitive enterprise AI data
• ▪The operational benefits of AI agent memory outweigh its data security risks
• ▪Enterprises should prioritize model-agnostic platforms over single-provider AI ecosystems