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OpenAI was at one point considering acquiringCerebras , an AI chipmaking caller that ’s in the unconscious process of last public , according to new effectual filing .
Elon Musk’songoing lawsuitagainst OpenAI has new exhibit that describe how OpenAI was contemplating snatching up Cerebras in or around 2017 — a year after Cerebras ’ founding , and just a few years after OpenAI start out operating .
In anemailaddressed to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Musk , Ilya Sutskever , one of OpenAI ’s co - founders and ex - principal scientist , float the idea of buying Cerebras through Tesla , Musk ’s EV company . At the meter , Musk was financially involved in OpenAI and exert some influence over its direction .
“ In the consequence we determine to buy Cerebras , my stiff sense is that it ’ll be done through Tesla , ” Sutskever wrote in September 2017 . “ But why do it this direction if we could also do it from within OpenAI ? Specifically , the business concern is that Tesla has a tariff to shareholders to maximize shareholder return , which is not aligned with OpenAI ’s mission . So the overall result may not end up being optimum for OpenAI . ”
In an early email date July 2017 from Sutskever to Musk and OpenAI carbon monoxide gas - founder Greg Brockman ( now the company ’s Chief Executive ) , Sutskever mentions several Cerebras - related agenda items : “ Negotiate merger term with Cerebras ” and “ More due diligence with Cerebras . ”
The merger deal would ultimately fall through , although it ’s not vindicated from the exhibits why . And OpenAI would end up shelving its chip dream for years .
Cerebras , free-base in Sunnyvale , California , construct custom computer hardware to scarper and train AI models and arrogate its fleck are flying and more efficient than Nvidia ’s flagship offerings for AI workload .
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Having recruit $ 715 million in venture capital , Cerebras is reportedly seeking to rough double its $ 4 billion valuation through the IPO . But it facesconsiderable challenges . A single Abu Dhabi firm , G42 , accounted for 87 % of Cerebras ’ tax revenue in the first one-half of 2024 , and U.S. lawgiver have press out uneasiness about G42′s historic tie to China . Cerebras CEO Andrew Feldman also has a chequered past tense , having plead guiltyto circumventing accounting restraint while a VP at public party Riverstone Networks .
If the acquisition had happened , it could have benefit both companies . Cerebras would ’ve avoided the path to a foxy IPO , while OpenAI might ’ve had a full of life resource in its race to ramp up in - business firm chips .
OpenAI has long sought to quash its reliance on Nvidia , which overtop a massive part of the market for AI - optimized chips . While OpenAI is late to the in - theatre chip game — GoogleandAmazon Web Services , among others , have long offered chips project for AI workload — it ’s under air pressure to reduce the cost of model education , fine - tuning , and running . have its own chips could be one fashion to attain the reduction it needs .
OpenAI at one point hoped to build anetwork of factoriesfor chip manufacturing , and wasconsideringan acquisition target . But it’sreportedlyabandoned those design in favour of sharply building out a squad of scrap designers and engineer , and working with semiconducting material business firm Broadcom and TSMC to create an AI chip for run models . It could arrive as shortly as 2026 .
