OpenAI Works With Samsung on Next-Generation Chips

OpenAI said it is working with Samsung Electronics to develop next-generation chips, deepening a collaboration with the South Korean technology giant that already spans data centers and enterprise sales, Reuters reported.

“One of the areas where we have made the most progress and gained the most recognition with Samsung Electronics is our joint production and ​research on the next-generation chips we are developing,” Harrison Kim, general manager of OpenAI Korea, said at ​a Wednesday press conference marking the one-year anniversary of OpenAI’s unit in Seoul, according to Reuters. Kim didn’t reveal further details on the chips.

Samsung told Reuters that it could not confirm information related to customers.

OpenAI has been investing in building its own chips and data centers. In June, it unveiled its first inference chip in collaboration with Broadcom, which it said was developed in nine months with the help of OpenAI’s models. Early testing of the chip, called Jalapeño, showed it delivered performance per watt substantially better than current advanced chips, OpenAI said.

Last October, OpenAI signed an agreement with Samsung and SK Telecom to develop data centers, including ocean-based floating data centers, as part of OpenAI’s $500 billion Stargate initiative aimed at developing AI infrastructure across the globe. The Jalapeño chips are expected to be deployed in these data centers. OpenAI Korea’s Kim said an update on the project will be announced within the year, citing unexpected complexities, according to Korea JoongAng Daily.

“Our technology is advancing so quickly that the data center design we envisioned last October is actually somewhat different from what we need now. That has required some adjustments along the way, and it’s taken more time than we anticipated,” Kim said.