OpenAI CEO wants to build a network of chip-makers around the world.

The exploding global demand for microprocessors, especially those designed for artificial intelligence, has convinced OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to venture into the chip manufacturing sector. For this, he is busy raising around 7 trillion US dollars.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, Altman has been courting serious investors, including the United Arab Emirates government and other money bags in the Middle East, which he is trying to attract in a project envisaging the construction of a network of chip manufacturing plants. 

His obsession with microchips that power AI was a reason why he almost lost his status in OpenAI in November 2023 as he had conspired secretly to move with his plan behind the back of the company board and shareholders.

Seven trillion is a damning lot of cash and it’s unclear how Altman can persuade investors to give him so much money given that the global sales of chips in 2023 amounted to 527 billion dollars while AI-specific hardware sales were estimated at some 100 billion dollars, as per the latest report by SEMI, a global semiconductor monitor organization. 

It’s true that the chip market is predicted to double to one trillion dollars yearly by 2030, but other manufacturers won’t be waiting for Salman to steal their shares.

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Think of the big tech like Broadcom, IBM, Intel Corporation, Micron Technology, Microsemi, Nvidia, Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, Texas Instruments, Qualcomm, and a dozen others with reputation in the semiconductor industry.

On the other hand, the giants developing more advanced large language models are showing a growing appetite for AI-specific microchips, with Google, Meta, Amazon, and OpenAI competing for orders.

Altman’s plan would put him head to head with Nvidia, which is the dominant AI-focused chip manufacturer.

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