OpenAI penned a $51 Million order for advanced Neuromorphic AI chips

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By Matthew Griffin Computing 15th February 2024

WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF

Neuromorphic computing is “one of” the next generation of AI’s – computers that self learn – and Altman has already been placing orders for future chips.

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Back in 2019 OpenAI apparently signed a letter of intent to spend $51 million on a special kind of Artificial Intelligence (AI) chips from neuromorphic computing chip startup Rain AI. Wired reports that CEO Sam Altman has personally invested more than $1 million into the company, which says that it is working hard to develop the next generation of ultra low power, ultra fast AI Neuromorphic Processing Units (NPU), just as elsewhere other companies are now starting to power up the world’s first brain scale neuromorphic computing systems.

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OpenAI would spend the $51m as soon as the chips are available, with Rain telling investors that it plans to ship its first chips as soon as this October. Sam Altman was CEO of OpenAI at the time of the deal, then was fired last November before being re-hired again in a shambolic mess after staff threatened to quit.

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Altman has several investments across Silicon Valley, many dating to his time leading startup incubator Y Combinator. The incubator is also a Rain backer. The OpenAI CEO has also tried to raise trillions, yes with a “T” for his own semiconductor venture, while OpenAI has also considered starting its own chip business.

Last month, Reuters reported that OpenAI hired the former lead of Google’s Tensor Processing Unit (TPU) AI chip as the head of hardware.

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Rain, meanwhile, says that it “is developing digital in-memory compute chips based on neuromorphic principles.”

The company’s leadership was reshuffled last month after the US government forced Saudi Arabia-affiliated fund Prosperity7 Ventures to sell its stake in the company over national security concerns.

Matthew Griffin / About Author

Matthew Griffin, described as “The Adviser behind the Advisers” and a “Young Kurzweil,” is the founder and CEO of the World Futures Forum and the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures consultancy working across the next 50 years, and is an award winning futurist, and author of “Codex of the Future” series.

Regularly featured in the global media, including AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, RT, Viacom, and WIRED, Matthew’s ability to identify, track, and explain the impacts of hundreds of revolutionary emerging technologies on global culture, industry and society, is unparalleled. Recognised for the past six years as one of the world’s foremost futurists, innovation and strategy experts Matthew is an international speaker who helps governments, investors, multi-nationals and regulators around the world envision, build and lead an inclusive, sustainable future.

A rare talent Matthew’s recent work includes mentoring Lunar XPrize teams, re-envisioning global education and training with the G20, and helping the world’s largest organisations envision and ideate the future of their products and services, industries, and countries.

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