Tech Alert
from Customer Engagement Services
TA 26-10: Poppy Dedicated Environments Now Available
- Issue date: September 02, 2026
- Attention: All California State Department
- Action requested: Submit a Poppy Request to Enroll, if interested
- Effective date: September 02, 2026
Overview
In response to feedback, the California Department of Technology (CDT) is expanding Poppy, California’s Digital Assistant to better serve the State’s diverse needs and provide agencies/departments greater control over their Poppy experience.
Beginning September 2, agencies/departments can request a dedicated environment of Poppy – a standalone setup that gives individual agencies/departments greater control over their Poppy configuration, including which GenAI models and features are available to users.
For agencies/departments that do not want to assume the responsibility of configuring and maintaining their own environment, Poppy is still available through a shared environment, completely managed by CDT.
Whichever option agencies/departments choose, both are backed by the same state-managed security, compliance, and privacy protections that Poppy users rely on today.
When to Consider a Dedicated Poppy Environment
A dedicated environment may be a good fit for agencies/departments that:
- Need tailored security controls
- Want to choose which GenAI models are available
- Have compliance requirements that necessitate enhanced data containment
- Require isolated, agency/department-specific integrations (e.g., APIs) beyond shared platform capabilities
- Need greater flexibility to manage user access, permissions, and administrative controls
When to Consider the Shared Poppy Environment
The shared Poppy environment remains the recommended option for most agencies/departments. It is a good fit for agencies/departments that:
- Want access to multiple frontier GenAI models with side-by-side comparison
- Prefer simple onboarding and a secure environment fully managed by CDT
- Have only a few users or a small team that needs access (no need for a dedicated environment)
- Use Poppy with single sign-on (SSO) and security configuration
- Want the most cost-effective solution
Poppy Costs
Shared Model
Shared Environments offer subscriptions that can be purchased in one of two ways:
- Per user: $8 per user
- Tiered-Model (unlimited user licenses): Starting at $7,500
Shared environment includes a set monthly usage amount. Overage charges apply once your agency/department exceeds the usage allotted.
Dedicated Environment
Dedicated Environment subscriptions start at $7,500+:
- AI Model Charges – The cost of AI usage
- 2.79% administrative fee – Applied to AI Model Charges
Dedicated environments do not include a set monthly usage amount. Usage costs are based on the AI model(s) your agency/department selects and how much they are utilized.
Please visit the Poppy Service page for more details.
Plan Ahead for Next Fiscal Year
As agencies/departments prepare their Budget Change Proposals (BCPs) for the upcoming fiscal year, CDT encourages agencies/departments to consider including Poppy in their funding requests to support secure, responsible GenAI adoption for their teams.
Contact
If you have questions, need further clarification, or would like to discuss your department’s specific requirements, please contact your CDT Account Lead by using the Account Lead Directory, or by calling Customer Engagement Services at 916-431-5390.