OpenAI is in advanced talks to lease high-performance GPUs from Nvidia, rather than purchase them outright, as part of its plan to build out custom AI data centers over the next several years. That’s according to a report published September 23 by The Information, which cites multiple people familiar with negotiations between the two companies.
The proposed leasing deal, which is reportedly still under discussion and subject to change, would represent a shift in how AI infrastructure is financed. Instead of buying hardware upfront or renting it from cloud providers like Microsoft or Oracle, OpenAI would take possession of Nvidia’s AI chips under a five-year lease, potentially reducing capital strain while offloading depreciation risk to the supplier. Sources close to the discussions say OpenAI estimates that the leasing arrangement could cut its total hardware costs by 10 to 15%, although the methodology behind that figure is unclear.
According to The Information, Nvidia could consider setting up a dedicated financing vehicle to fund the leasing structure. That entity would borrow capital to purchase GPUs and networking hardware, using the chips themselves as collateral. OpenAI’s lease payments would then service the loan over the duration of the five-year term.
