OpenAI has taken an important step to bring research and product development activities in the field of artificial intelligence to a new dimension. The company announced that it has purchased the hardware attempt, the founder of former Apple Chief designer Jony Ive. According to Bloomberg, the financial value of the agreement is about $ 6.5 billion. This acquisition shows that OpenAI’s strategic goals on hardware expand.
The IO has a staff consisting of experienced engineers and designers working together for many years in Apple. In addition to Jony Ive, the names with Apple history such as Scott Cannon, Evans Hankey and Tang Tan are also found in the founding team of IO. This team had previously worked in the development of iPhone, Mac and other Apple products. After the purchase, a team of approximately 55 people will pass to OpenAI.
Although OpenAI has purchased IO, Jony Ive will not directly participate in the company. Instead, Ive’s independent design company Lovefrom will undertake all the design processes of OpenAI’s software and hardware projects. This cooperation will increase the effect of Lovefrome, especially on issues such as user experience and product aesthetics. The company will continue to maintain its current structure and independence.
OpenAI plans to reshape the hardware development strategy by integrating with lovefrom.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Bloomberg said that the first device developed will not be an alternative to the existing phones, he said. According to Altman, just as smartphones are not fully replaced by laptops, the new product will not eliminate smartphones. This description shows that OpenAI aims to create new categories. Altman said he had the opportunity to try one of the prototype devices and is one of the most impressive technologies he has ever seen.
Jony Ive, on the other hand, said that some artificial intelligence -based equipment has not met expectations. In particular, he described devices such as Humane Pin and Rabbit R1 as “very bad products .. According to him, the traces of innovative thought in the products in this field are not seen enough. For this reason, the first product that IO will develop with OpenAI aims to go beyond the usual design patterns.
The cooperation of the two companies is the continuation of a process that has been going on for the last two years. Altman and Ive worked on different product ideas in this process. Camera integrated devices and new generation headphones are some of these ideas. However, clear information about what the first device in the prototype phase would resemble and what needs it will appeal to.
OpenaI and Lovefrrom’s joint statement emphasized that a multi -disciplined team came together. Engineers, physicists, software developers and production experts will work together at the OpenAI office in San Francisco. This structure will enable it to integrate the software development and hardware production processes integrated. Thus, the road from the idea to the product will be made shorter and more efficient.
The IO team had a structure that was interested not only with design but also the efficiency of the production process. In this respect, it will be possible for OpenAI not only to produce prototypes, but also to develop scalable hardware products. Although the year 2026 is pointed out for the first product, the net calendar of this process will be shaped over time.
Jony Ive said that this cooperation has a special place in the career of everyone in the project. According to him, the transformative potential of artificial intelligence technology will be reflected directly on the design of new devices. However, he stressed that this process also has a great responsibility. The form of the relationship with the user will be one of the factors that directly affect the success of the product.
For OpenAI, this purchase can be considered as part of the goal of developing products that reach the user directly from being a research -oriented organization. Hardware design and production have been limited to the company’s activity in the field of activity. This may change with the contribution of IO and Lovefrom. OpenAI is expected to be more visible in the field of consumer electronics in the coming period.