OpenAI CEO Sam Altman may be going to attempt to raise $US7 trillion over a single project, which has never been done before. For context, last year’s GDP in Australia was $1.3 trillion ($1.9 trillion AU), and the total cost of the war in Afghanistan was $US2 trillion ($3.1 trillion) for the United States.
If Sam Altman Had $7 Trillion, What Would He Do With It?
The answer is just to completely revamp the computer chip business worldwide. The Wall Street Journal reports that Mr. Altman is currently in talks with multiple investors, including those in the UAE, in an extremely audacious effort to improve the supply chain for GPUs, which are vital chips.
Graphics Processing Unit (GPU):
GPUs are the tools that are presently leading to the crucial objective of AGI, or artificial general intelligence. Intelligent machines that can do any task that a human can.
Artificial intelligence systems rely heavily on graphics processing units. Nvidia, a US-based company, supplies the majority of the world’s GPUs, while crucial components are made in Taiwan. GPUs were originally designed for gaming, with 3D graphics in particular, in mind.
Even though tech behemoths like Google are developing GPU substitutes, the vast majority of these new products will have many of the same components.
It is believed that Sam Altman is attempting to bring OpenAI, the investors, and chip makers together in an alliance. Because of the immense importance of GPUs, the continued competition between the US and China for technological supremacy is seen as hinged on who will have access to GPUs in the future.
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In recent years, a geopolitical conflict over graphics processing units (GPUs) has come to light as a result of a game of export prohibitions between the US government and Nvidia, the top US chipmaker.
In an attempt to partially halt China’s advancements in artificial intelligence and other critical technologies, the United States has banned Nvidia’s GPUs when they are being developed for the Chinese market. However, chip manufacturers in neighboring Taiwan are extremely important to the United States.
The most direct route to AI that is superior to humans right now is graphics processing units (GPUs), but there are others. Many big tech companies are developing independent alternatives, but even those will probably use components made overseas.
When it comes to artificial intelligence chips, neither nation has yet achieved supply chain independence. Yet they’re both attempting to resolve it.
Are Those AI Chips Necessary For Sam Altman?
Both he and his business do not need them. The Wall Street Journal claims the initiative’s details will soon be revealed, but for now, all we know is that the funds will be used to significantly increase overall tech industry capacity. Well, the part that is aligned with the United States, anyway.
Supposedly, Mr. Altman is attempting to facilitate a deal wherein OpenAI, different investors, and chip manufacturers would pool their resources to finance the construction of new factories that will manufacture semiconductors, which are components of graphics processing units (GPUs).
OpenAI would represent a single client. The UAE government, the already-important Taiwanese manufacturer TSMC, and the Japanese investment behemoth Softbank are among the possible supporters.
The majority of the world’s semiconductors are already manufactured by TSMC. The company has been dubbed Taiwan’s “Silicon Shield” and is a major reason why the West is so invested in Taiwan’s freedom from China.
Based on the limited information available, Mr. Altman’s proposal may represent the United States’ long-awaited attempt to achieve supply chain independence in the computer semiconductor industry. That is if he is capable of successfully executing it.
The Largest Fundraising Move In Corporate History, Or Just A Rumor Mill Glitch?
The reports could be entirely wrong, but the issue that this plan aims to address is still very much there. Altman and OpenAI have not taken any action to explicitly end the story in nearly seven days despite the absence of official confirmation.
Mr. Altman wrote on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) last Thursday, the same day the story broke. “We believe the world needs more AI infrastructure… than people are currently planning to build. Building massive-scale AI infrastructure and a resilient supply chain is crucial to economic competitiveness. OpenAI will try to help!”
While tweeting, “I don’t know that much about this rumored compute thing” over the weekend, he also made casual comments to other people’s posts about the topic, adding to the speculation.
openai now generates about 100 billion words per day.
all people on earth generate about 100 trillion words per day.
— Sam Altman (@sama) February 9, 2024
People are wondering what Sam Altman is up to on X. A user responded with the warning: “Blink twice if your account has been hacked” in response to Mr. Altman’s unusual X activity in the days following the story’s break.
Even though OpenAI has not yet commented on the request for comment, the company did tell the Wall Street Journal: “OpenAI has had productive discussions about increasing global infrastructure and supply chains for chips, energy, and data centers, which are crucial for AI and other industries that rely on them.”
“We will continue to keep the US government informed given the importance to national priorities, and look forward to sharing more details at a later date.”
