by Sam Altman, the chief executive officer of OpenAI, is on a mission to raise trillions of dollars in order to revolutionize the global semiconductor sector. According to the Wall Street Journal, Altman has engaged in discussions with potential investors, including the UAE government. His objective is to address some of the major challenges faced by the rapidly expanding artificial intelligence (AI) industry, particularly the shortage of costly computer chips required to power large-language models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
Currently, the global chip industry is dominated by a few key players such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and US-based NVIDIA. While numerous countries have announced plans to support domestic chip production, the financial support they have offered pales in comparison to the vast sums of money Altman is pursuing with potential investors.
The Journal estimates that the total cost of Altman’s ambitious project could reach a staggering $7 trillion. To put this into perspective, it is approximately $1 trillion more than the combined market value of the world’s two largest public companies, Apple and Microsoft.
In response to the news, an OpenAI spokesperson revealed that the company has engaged in productive discussions regarding the expansion of global infrastructure and supply chains for chips, energy, and data centers. They also highlighted their commitment to keeping the US government informed, recognizing the significance of such initiatives to national priorities.
The Journal also reported that Altman has met with senior government officials from the United Arab Emirates, as well as CEO of SoftBank, Masayoshi Son, and representatives from TSMC. Bloomberg and the Financial Times have also published reports on Altman’s recent meetings.
In his proposals, Altman has outlined the idea of constructing multiple chip-fabrication plants in the coming years, with funding from Middle Eastern investors. These plants would then be operated by TSMC under an agreement with OpenAI.
Altman’s journey has seen both triumph and adversity. Following the highly publicized release of ChatGPT, Altman faced a brief period of dismissal from his position at OpenAI in November, only to be reinstated a few days later after protests from staff and investors. Despite these challenges, Altman remains committed to pushing the boundaries of the semiconductor industry and fueling the advancement of AI technology.
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1. Source: Coherent Market Insights, Public sources, Desk research
2. We have leveraged AI tools to mine information and compile it
