On January 19, sources disclosed that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman intends to use the funds raised for a chip venture to establish a series of semiconductor manufacturing facilities.
As reported by Bloomberg, Altman is reportedly in consultations with several significant prospective investors to secure the capital necessary to establish chip fabrication facilities or fabs.
The initiative would involve partnerships with prominent semiconductor manufacturers, and the network of fabrication facilities would span the globe.
According to the report, Abu Dhabi-based organization G42 and SoftBank Group of Japan are in preliminary discussions with OpenAI; a comprehensive list of partners and funders has yet to be formalized. Reportedly, OpenAI and G42 have been in conversation since October 2023 to raise between $8 billion and $10 billion.
The present state of the discussions is still being determined. The report identified Samsung Electronics, Intel, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company as prospective OpenAI collaborators.
OpenAI’s pursuit of investing in semiconductor processors is common. The CEO of Meta, Mark Zuckerberg, announced on Thursday, January 18, that the company intends to invest in specialized computer processors to develop and distribute novel generative artificial intelligence (AI) models and products.
Zuckerberg explained that Meta intends to acquire approximately 350,000 H100 graphics processing units from chip designer Nvidia by the end of 2024 to expand its technological infrastructure.
The Bloomberg report states that Altman, who re-joined OpenAI in November 2023 following an unexpected and brief dismissal, resumed his endeavors to obtain financial support for worldwide semiconductor chip manufacturing upon his readmission. Reports indicate that Microsoft, with which he discussed the proposal, has also expressed interest.
Altman believes that, apart from the CEO’s interest in semiconductor processors, the future of artificial intelligence may depend on an unidentified but ambitious form of energy.