OpenAI and Broadcom to finalize custom AI processor in the coming months say industry sources

OpenAI
(Image credit: OpenAI)

OpenAI expects to finalize its first custom AI processor design in the coming months and send it to TSMC for production, aiming for large-scale manufacturing by 2026, reports Reuters. OpenAI follows its rivals from Google, Meta, and Microsoft, so to remain competitive in terms of costs, it needs its own custom processors earlier rather than later.

The custom silicon OpenAI will create for AI processors is expected to feature a so-called systolic array design, a grid of identical processing elements (PEs that perform matrix or vector computations) that are arranged in rows and columns and connected in such a way that data 'pulses' through the array in a pipeline-like fashion. The processor is said to use HBM memory, though it is unclear whether OpenAI plans to use HBM3E or HBM4. As for process technology, OpenAI reportedly aims at TSMC's proven N3-series (3nm-class) fabrication process.

Anton Shilov
Contributing Writer

Anton Shilov is a contributing writer at Tom’s Hardware. Over the past couple of decades, he has covered everything from CPUs and GPUs to supercomputers and from modern process technologies and latest fab tools to high-tech industry trends.