OpenAI explores buying Google chips for artificial intelligence
The proposed purchase could make OpenAI less dependent on Nvidia, but details about its size and price are not known.
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OpenAI is exploring the purchase of Google's own AI chips, Reuters reports, citing a source familiar with the plans. The company would thereby seek to diversify its computing infrastructure further alongside chips from market leader Nvidia.
The chips in question are Google's so-called tensor processing units, or TPUs. Google developed them for machine learning and uses them in its own data centres. According to Reuters, the financial terms and size of any potential purchase are not yet known.
The possible deal is part of a broader struggle to secure sufficient computing power for AI models. Companies such as OpenAI need large quantities of specialised chips to train models and provide answers to users. Nvidia supplies widely used graphics processors for this purpose, but demand for such systems has grown sharply.
OpenAI and Google are partners and competitors at the same time. OpenAI announced last week that its models and Codex would become available to business customers through Google Cloud. This gives access to OpenAI software within Google's own cloud services, while the company is also developing its own AI models.
According to Reuters, OpenAI did not respond to questions from the news agency about the proposed purchase. Google likewise gave no comment outside office hours. As a result, it is unclear whether this concerns a definitive agreement, an exploratory discussion or a still-limited test.
Switching to multiple chip types could give OpenAI more room for negotiation and reduce its dependence on a single supplier. On the other hand, using different systems may require additional software development and technical adjustments. The performance and costs of Google's TPUs also depend on how OpenAI configures its models and data centres.
The possible purchase therefore says above all something about the scale of the AI infrastructure that companies are currently negotiating over. Until a contract, volume or delivery date has been published, it is too early to speak of an actual shift in market relations.
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Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The article's central claim is based on a recent Reuters report and an official announcement by OpenAI. Unconfirmed details are explicitly presented as uncertain, and no factual corrections are needed.
- confirmed OpenAI is exploring the purchase of Google's TPU chips. — Reuters reports this based on a person familiar with the plans. source
- confirmed The financial terms and size of the possible purchase have not been disclosed. — Reuters writes that the financial terms and other details have not been revealed. source
- confirmed OpenAI models and Codex will become available to business customers through Google Cloud. — OpenAI announced the partnership and the planned availability. source
- confirmed OpenAI and Google are both partners and competitors in the field of AI. — The partnership is evident from OpenAI's announcement; both companies also develop and sell their own AI services. source
- confirmed Google developed TPUs for machine learning. — The Reuters report describes TPUs as Google's own AI chips for machine learning. source
- confirmed OpenAI and Google have not substantively confirmed the possible purchase. — Reuters reports that OpenAI did not respond and that Google did not respond outside office hours. source