The venture is driven by Altman's concern over a potential shortage of AI accelerators. The fabs that the venture aims to build may also produce other types of processors. It is unclear whether the venture will produce chips using customer-provided designs, sell processors based on its own blueprints, or both. The venture may partner with established chipmakers like Intel, TSMC, and Samsung to build its manufacturing infrastructure. Microsoft, OpenAI’s top backer, has reportedly expressed interest in Altman’s venture.
Key takeaways:
- OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is reportedly seeking to raise billions of dollars for a new chip manufacturing venture, with a focus on the artificial intelligence chip segment.
- Altman has reportedly held fundraising talks with SoftBank Group Corp. and Abu Dhabi-based G42, potentially seeking to raise $8 billion to $10 billion from the latter firm alone.
- The vision for the venture is to build a global network of semiconductor fabs, which would require tens of billions of dollars from investors.
- Microsoft, OpenAI’s top backer, has reportedly expressed interest in Altman’s venture and could potentially partner with it to manufacture its custom chips.