Apple reportedly does not want to become an investor in OpenAI after all
Shortly before the end of the next round of financing for the ChatGPT makers, Apple is said to have withdrawn. Microsoft is reportedly still involved.
ChatGPT is already integrated on newer iPhones.
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Apple's previously assumed initial investment in OpenAI is not to materialize after all. This was reported by the Wall Street Journal, citing an unnamed person. It had previously been assumed that other companies from the technology sector would invest in OpenAI alongside major investor Microsoft. One company that has always been mentioned is Nvidia, but the Journal provides no new information about its plans.
Apple had previously been rumored to be an investor, partly because the company made its "Apple Intelligence", which is partly based on OpenAI technology, a focal point of the iPhone 16 launch. It is not unusual for large companies to invest early in start-ups whose technology they already use. This can lead to lower licensing costs, for example, and generate long-term profits from the investment if the partner is successful.
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Microsoft remains in the race
However, according to the newspaper report, Microsoft wants to increase its previous investment of 13 billion US dollars by a further billion. The investment company Thrive Capital, which is leading the current financing round, is to contribute a further billion. According to earlier sources, OpenAI wants to raise a total of 6.5 billion to finance its further development. Although the makers of ChatGPT, Dall-E and Sora, among others, are seeing a steady increase in sales, the company is still making losses.
Negotiations are expected to be concluded in the coming week. It should then also be clear whether OpenAI will abandon its current model of partial non-profit status.
(nie)
