When the conversation about OpenAI’s intentions to attract additional capital for its development began yesterday, only Microsoft and venture fund Thrive Capital were mentioned as potential investors. However, The Wall Street Journal now claims that Apple and Nvidia may join them. The investment amount could be measured in several billion US dollars.
Existing Partnerships and Potential New Investments
Microsoft has invested approximately $13 billion in OpenAI since 2019, giving it the right to receive 49% of the startup’s profits. Both Nvidia and Apple are already OpenAI partners. Nvidia supplies the startup with computing accelerators necessary for its large language models, while Apple is interested in developing artificial intelligence systems within its own Apple Intelligence ecosystem. Initially, it will rely on ChatGPT, with plans to develop its own capabilities in this area later.
If Apple decides to invest in OpenAI’s capital, it would be an atypical move for the company, which usually does not invest in startups. However, there are precedents: in 2017, Apple invested $1 billion in SoftBank’s Japanese Vision Fund, and in 2016, it invested $1 billion in the Chinese startup Didi, an aggregator of taxi services. The Didi investment was initially thought to bring Apple closer to creating its own automatic taxi service, but this project was abandoned this year, reminds NIX Solutions.
OpenAI’s Financial Strategy
OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar notified the company’s employees this Wednesday about the search for new sources of capital. According to sources, such attempts have been ongoing since last December. OpenAI intends to use the proceeds to increase computing power and cover other operating expenses, as noted by the CFO.
We’ll keep you updated on any developments in OpenAI’s investment efforts and potential new partnerships.