San Francisco: Former chief Apple designer Jony Ive and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman are reportedly considering launching an AI hardware device together, which will be first-of-its-kind if materialised.
ChatGPT developer OpenAI, building large language models and art-generating AI, now wants to get into hardware, reports The Information.
For this, Ive who is the renowned designer of the iPhone is reportedly in talks with Altman about an AI hardware project.
“SoftBank CEO and investor Masayoshi Son has talked to both about the idea,” the report mentioned, citing people aware of the matter.
OpenAI’s hardware efforts are in the very earliest stages, as per the report.
Altman and Ive have only begun what kind of hardware could do or look like.
OpenAI once had a robotics research division but it was disbanded in July 2021 after encountering technical roadblocks.
In 2019, Ive announced he would leave Apple after 27 years to start his own design firm, LoveFrom, together with industrial designer Marc Newson.
In July 2022, Apple ended its consulting agreement with Ive.
Ive was also hired by the Agnelli family to work on Ferrari vehicles.
Meanwhile, OpenAI is reportedly raising funds at a valuation of $80-$90 billion via sale of existing shares.
In April, OpenAI OpenAI closed a more than $300 million share sale at a valuation of $29 billion.
Earlier this year, Microsoft invested around $10 billion in the AI startup. The tech giant owns 49 per cent in OpenAI.
Last month, OpenAI said it is expected to reach $1 billion in revenue in 2023.
–IANS