Apple and Nvidia in Talks to Join OpenAI’s Funding Round, Valuation Could Surpass $100 Billion
Tech giants Apple and Nvidia are reportedly in discussions to participate in OpenAI’s latest funding round, which could potentially push the artificial intelligence (AI) company’s valuation past $100 billion. According to sources cited by The Wall Street Journal on August 29, both companies are considering making investments in OpenAI.
Thrive Capital is expected to lead the funding round with a $1 billion investment. Microsoft, which already owns 49% of OpenAI after investing $13 billion since 2019, is also set to participate. The exact amounts that Apple, Nvidia, and Microsoft will invest remain undisclosed.
Historically, Apple has focused on developing AI internally rather than investing in the sector. However, the increasing competition in AI may be prompting the company to change its approach. In June, Apple partnered with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT into the iOS 18 update and hinted at incorporating Google’s Gemini generative AI model into Apple devices.
While Apple typically avoids startup investments, it has made strategic investments in the past to secure important technologies for its products. If Apple proceeds with the OpenAI investment, it would underscore the company’s growing emphasis on AI as a crucial part of its future strategy.
In other news, OpenAI’s GPT-4o model has been evaluated as posing a “medium risk” in its potential to influence political opinions through generated text. This development highlights the ongoing challenges and ethical considerations surrounding AI technology.
The potential involvement of Apple and Nvidia in OpenAI’s funding round signals a significant milestone for the AI industry and could have far-reaching implications for the future of artificial intelligence development. Stay tuned for more updates on this evolving story.
