By Nextgov.com
Publication Date: 2026-11-04 13:11:00
FedRAMP has granted its first “Class C” certification to artificial intelligence company Perplexity, making it the first cloud service offering that is fully compliant with FedRAMP 20x’s new rules for moderate impact.
FedRAMP launched its 20x revamp effort in March 2025, and later released its consolidated rules in June 2026 that officially implemented many of the proposed changes piloted over the previous year.
The rules established the new “Class C” certification, which serves as the equivalent of FedRAMP’s old “moderate” level. The rules also introduced the FedRAMP 20x Class A certification, as well as Class B and Class D certification.
According to the FedRAMP Marketplace, there are currently seven Class A certifications, which serve as a new level to accelerate entry into the marketplace. There are 12 Class B certifications still in the 20x pilot phase, which serve as the equivalent of FedRAMP’s old “low” level. There are no Class D certifications yet.
In a Nov. 2 blog post, FedRAMP said the first Class C certification “marks the actual beginning of the race to expand the marketplace to enable federal agencies to work with many thousands of different cloud-based services that accelerate key agency operations to reduce the footprint of the information technology infrastructure that they directly manage.”
“It took a ton of work to get here, and a ton of collaboration with inspired stakeholders both government and industry-wide,” FedRAMP said….
