OpenAI May Design Their Own Chips

Artificial intelligence algorithms are incredibly complex, needing the enormous power of supercomputers to operate. OpenAI’s ChatGPT runs on a Microsoft-built supercomputer powered by 10,000 Nvidia GPU’s. It’s expensive, and power-hungry, and the company is aiming to improve performance and reduce reliance on a single chip supplier. The result may be a new in-house semiconductor design unit at the company, or possibly an acquisition of an existing chipmaker. OpenAI has also announced that they are open to a collaborative effort with existing suppliers, including Nvidia. * * *Want to watch this podcast as a video? This Week in Engineering is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as End of the Line, Designing the Future, Manufacturing the Future, and the Engineering Roundtable.