Sam Altman, the chief executive officer of OpenAI, is reportedly discussing raising trillions of dollars with global investors to fund AI chip development.
The Wall Street Journal reported on February 8 that Altman’s endeavor would necessitate around $5–7 trillion in funding. According to sources with close ties to OpenAI, the funds would address the company’s scaling issues and the scarcity and expense of processors required to develop advanced AI systems.
According to reports, Altman has persuaded OpenAI to form partnerships with “various investors,” chip manufacturers, and energy providers, stating that the company would become a “significant customer” of the new factories.
A spokesperson for OpenAI stated:
“OpenAI has had productive discussions about increasing global infrastructure and supply chains for chips, energy, and data centers — which are crucial for AI and other industries that rely on them.”
Altman and United States Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo recently met to deliberate on the endeavor, which necessitates the involvement of global governments, industry partners, and patrons.
According to a spokesperson, OpenAI will continue to inform the U.S. government about this subject because it concerns one of the nation’s “national priorities.”
Additionally, the CEO of OpenAI conferred with Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed al Nahyan, the National Security Advisor of the United Arab Emirates. Based on insider information, the UAE would assume a substantial role if granted authorization by the United States government.
Altman has reportedly engaged in discussions with Masayoshi Son, the CEO of SoftBank, and representatives from semiconductor fabrication firms, including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, regarding his venture.
According to a source with knowledge of the situation, Microsoft, which owns a majority stake in OpenAI, is aware of and supports the organization’s fundraising endeavors.
Reportedly, OpenAI was in discussions with investors in December 2023 who contemplated investing over $100 billion in the company.
Nvidia continues to dominate the market for processors utilized in AI computation. Due to the exponential growth of AI model development over the past year, the organization has reported revenue that has surpassed all previous records and a valuation that exceeds one trillion dollars.
Meta, the parent company of the social media platforms Facebook and Instagram, recently declared its intention to enter the market for AI chips. The company unveiled “Artemis,” its most recent processor, which it plans to implement in its data centers to augment AI capabilities and decrease reliance on Nvidia.
