OpenAI , not satisfied with creating large language models and artificial intelligence , is seeking to engage in the hardware sector .
According to an article in The Information reported this week, former Apple product designer Jony Ive is in talks with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman about artificial intelligence-based hardware
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Although a detail, it is worth noting that billionaire Masayoshi Son, the founder and CEO of investment company SoftBank, appears to be involved in this initiative in some way, according to the allegations made.
OpenAI's hardware venture — though it's unclear what form it will take — is reportedly in its early stages .Altman and Ive have only just begun discussing how it might be built or look as hardware, with no specific features, capabilities, or target market yet to be determined.
Jony Ive's reputation comes first, of course. The former Apple design chief has consulted on a number of products since leaving Apple in 2019. These include a $60,000 pickup truck from audio equipment company Linn and a logo for King Charles III's Astra Carta chassis, a movement that emphasizes sustainable space practices.
But hardware is a tricky business. OpenAI knows this well.
OpenAI once ran a roboticsthat looked at ways machines could learn to perform complex tasks, such as solving a Rubik's Cube. However, in July 2021, it decided to disband the group as it faced significant technical difficulties — and potentially high costs.
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However, OpenAI is expected to hit $1 billion in revenue this year, forcing it to burn through some of its cash. The AI company, known for its ChatGPT chatbot and GPT-4 AI-powered text generation system, has a total of $11.3 billion in venture capital.
Just after April, OpenAI raised about $300 million. There are also talks of a possible stock sale, a move that would boost the startup's valuation from $29 billion to about $80 billion to $90 billion.
So, while hardware development is a challenging undertaking, OpenAI is likely to address these challenges better than most if its work lives up to expectations.
Source: techcrunch.com
