After creating a shockwave in the field of artificial intelligence with ChatGPT, Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, has announced that he is preparing a consumer AI-dedicated device. And to help him, he hopes to get the support of a former Apple design star.
After Mark Zuckerberg, billionaire Sam Altman now wants to replace the iPhone with a device designed by an Apple star
The field of artificial intelligence is developing at an exponential rate—sometimes even forcefully—as companies in the race don’t want to be left behind by their competitors. Today, most of the tech giants have their own language models, and the next step could be the creation of hardware specifically dedicated to AI use.
Hardware: the next step in OpenAI’s project?
In a recent interview with Nikkei Asia, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, suggested that the next phase for his company is the design of devices specifically for AI use. According to Altman, this could be “the biggest evolution in tech devices since the iPhone.” Given the impact ChatGPT has had on the AI world, his provocative comments might be worth taking seriously.
The OpenAI boss added during the interview that he “hopes to do it” in partnership with Jony Ive, former design director at Apple who played a key role in the creation of the iPhone and many other Apple products. For now, these statements only reflect Sam Altman’s intentions, as OpenAI has not officially communicated on the matter. Altman estimated that it would take several years before a prototype could be released.
OpenAI in a race against China
The recent arrival of DeepSeek on the AI market has shaken things up, especially in the U.S. Altman admitted that China has “significantly caught up with American AI companies,” adding that “it would be bad if authoritarian governments misused powerful AI to consolidate their power.”
The day after his inauguration, Donald Trump held a conference with Sam Altman, who announced a $500 billion partnership between OpenAI, SoftBank Group, and Oracle to develop AI infrastructure on U.S. soil. This project, named Stargate, will be led by OpenAI, which will oversee the construction and operation of datacenters in the U.S.
As part of efforts to compete with China, Altman also mentioned the possibility of OpenAI developing its own semiconductors. “We’re definitely working on it,” he said simply. Apple, Google, and Amazon are also exploring this topic on their end.
The interview with Nikkei Asia took place during Altman’s visit to Japan. He hopes to encourage Japanese companies to participate in Stargate. “I believe there are areas where collaboration with Japanese companies and investors is possible at all levels, including in the chip industry,” he said.
