Microsoft and OpenAI announced Thursday a non-binding deal outlining terms that would allow OpenAI to restructure into a for-profit company, marking a key step in the high-profile partnership fueling ChatGPT’s growth.
The new commercial arrangements, details of which were not disclosed, are intended to finalize a definitive agreement enabling OpenAI to raise capital under a more conventional governance structure and eventually go public to fund artificial intelligence development.
Microsoft previously invested $1 billion in OpenAI in 2019 and $10 billion at the start of 2023. Under prior agreements, Microsoft had exclusive rights to sell OpenAI software via Azure and preferred access to its technology. The company was once OpenAI’s sole compute provider but relaxed its role this year, allowing OpenAI to pursue its own data center project, Stargate, and sign multi-billion-dollar cloud deals with Oracle and Google.
As OpenAI’s revenue grows into the billions, it seeks partnerships with additional cloud providers to expand sales and secure computing capacity. Microsoft, meanwhile, wants continued access to OpenAI’s technology even if its models reach humanlike intelligence, a milestone that could end the current partnership under previous terms.
OpenAI’s nonprofit arm is expected to receive over $100 billion, about 20 percent of the $500 billion valuation the company seeks in private markets, making it one of the best-funded nonprofits globally, according to Bret Taylor, chairman of OpenAI’s nonprofit board. The companies did not disclose Microsoft’s ownership stake or whether it would retain exclusive access to OpenAI’s newest models.
Regulatory approval is still required from attorneys general in California and Delaware. OpenAI hopes to complete the conversion by year-end to secure billions in funding tied to the timeline.
The two companies compete across products ranging from consumer chatbots to AI tools for businesses, while Microsoft continues developing its own AI models to reduce reliance on OpenAI technology.
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U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Russia then Ukraine over the weekend, Russian state news agency TASS has reported, citing an unnamed source. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also said American envoys will visit the capitals of both countries.
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have arrived in Moscow for peace talks on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, two people familiar with the matter said. They were met by Russian Presidential Envoy Kirill Dmitriev.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 4th of September, covering the latest developments.
U.S. efforts to squeeze Iran’s economy through an oil blockade and sanctions are becoming increasingly difficult for Tehran to withstand, according to three senior Iranian sources. Washington is escalating pressure in hopes of securing concessions in future negotiations.
An Iranian tanker was hit by U.S. forces on Saturday near Iran's key oil export hub, Kharg Island, in the Gulf, the semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim reported.
The United States and China are preparing to hold their first official bilateral talks focused exclusively on artificial intelligence as concerns grow over the risks posed by increasingly capable AI systems.
AI may live in the cloud, but the infrastructure powering it is anything but virtual. As data centres consume ever more electricity and water, the race is on to find new ways to keep the machines running.
Hua Hong Semiconductor, China's second-largest contract chipmaker, is investing $2 billion to build a new fabrication plant in Wuxi, China as part of a push to expand capacity as domestic demand for AI-related chips outstrips what the industry can currently produce.
A humanoid robot developed by Chinese smartphone maker Honor has run 100 metres in 9.32 seconds, beating Usain Bolt's men's world record of 9.58 seconds, China's state broadcaster reported on Saturday.
An artificial intelligence agent running an experimental store in San Francisco has recommended dismissing a human employee after the worker repeatedly arrived late for shifts.
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