Reports say Intel could have bought a $1 billion chunk of OpenAI seven years ago but its then-CEO thought it wouldn't pay off

HardwareReports say Intel could have bought a $1 billion chunk of OpenAI seven years ago but its then-CEO thought it wouldn’t pay offWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

OpenAI logo displayed on a phone screen and ChatGPT website displayed on a laptop screen are seen in this illustration photo taken in Krakow, Poland on December 5, 2022.

Look, we’ve all missed a few big opportunities in our lives. Hindsight is 20-20, etc. That being said, Intel do seem to have made more than few boo-boos in the “long term vision” stakes over the past decade or so, and financially one of the biggest might have been spurning OpenAI.

According to Reuters, four sources have revealed that, over several months in 2017 and 2018, executives at Intel discussed various options for working with OpenAI, including buying a 15% stake in the company for $1 billion.

Two of the sources also said that discussions included Intel potentially taking an additional 15% stake in OpenAI if it provided hardware for the company at cost.

Sources told Reuters that, at the time, then-CEO Bob Swan didn’t think generative AI models would make it to the market in the near future, and so the investment wouldn’t pay off—at least in the time frame Intel desired.

Given that OpenAI’s market value is reportedlynow around $80 billion dollars, that investment wouldnow be worth around $12 billion, not to mention putting Intel right at the forefront of generative AI development.

OpenAI was said to be interested in an investment in order to reduce reliance on Nvidia’s chips and build infrastructure of its own. Looks like this potential deal hasn’t worked out the way either company may have hoped—as while Intel could have been early investing in one of the AI companies that has benefitted most from the current AI boom, OpenAI is stilltrying to raise outside investmentto design and manufacture its own AI acceleration hardware.

So, a real opportunity for both missed there. And while OpenAI has become something of a darling of AI investment and one of the most talked about businesses in recent times, according to some reports things aren’t looking particularly rosy for the company of late.

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals

It’s claimed that OpenAI is currentlyburning through $700,000 per day to run ChatGPT, with this staggering sum attributed to the cost of Nvidia’s AI servers. Had Intel provided the investment necessary for OpenAI to develop hardware of its own, who knows if things would have turned out differently.

Your next upgrade(Image credit: Future)Best CPU for gaming: The top chips from Intel and AMD.Best gaming motherboard: The right boards.Best graphics card: Your perfect pixel-pusher awaits.Best SSD for gaming: Get into the game ahead of the rest.

Your next upgrade

(Image credit: Future)Best CPU for gaming: The top chips from Intel and AMD.Best gaming motherboard: The right boards.Best graphics card: Your perfect pixel-pusher awaits.Best SSD for gaming: Get into the game ahead of the rest.

(Image credit: Future)

Nvidia RTX 4070 and RTX 3080 Founders Edition graphics cards

Best CPU for gaming: The top chips from Intel and AMD.Best gaming motherboard: The right boards.Best graphics card: Your perfect pixel-pusher awaits.Best SSD for gaming: Get into the game ahead of the rest.

Still, AI generation is one thing. At least Intel didn’t do something really silly, liketurning down the opportunity to make chips for the iPhone. Oh. Another opportunity missed there then.

I know, hindsight, and so on. But it seems like Intel’s management has struggled to make the right calls in the past decade. In fact, current Intel CEOPat Gelsinger seemed to agree, although since his tenure the ship does not seem to have turned around in the way he may have hoped.CPU crashingissues,mass-layoffs, cancelledshareholder dividend paymentsandproduction woeshave all befallen Intel of late, and it’s difficult not to think that it’s currently at its lowest point in years.

What was once a seemingly undefeatable giant of the tech industryreally does seem to be in trouble. Poor long-term planning, missed opportunities, and bad calls. Intel might still be a behemoth of tech, but it does make you wonder how many wrong decisions it can make before it finds itself completely beached on rocky shores.

TOPICSHardware

TOPICS

More about hardwareIf you’re trying to convince me your ‘companionship’ robot is ‘lifelike’, maybe don’t rip her face off in the demo videoIs the new RTX 5070 really as fast as Nvidia’s previous flagship RTX 4090 GPU? Turns out the answer is yes. Kinda.LatestCruel is a frantic run-and-gun shooter where you boot cultists out of windows in a cursed apartment block that wants you deadSee more latest►

More about hardware

If you’re trying to convince me your ‘companionship’ robot is ‘lifelike’, maybe don’t rip her face off in the demo videoIs the new RTX 5070 really as fast as Nvidia’s previous flagship RTX 4090 GPU? Turns out the answer is yes. Kinda.

A robot having its face pulled off

If you’re trying to convince me your ‘companionship’ robot is ‘lifelike’, maybe don’t rip her face off in the demo video

Nvidia RTX 5070 graphics card

Is the new RTX 5070 really as fast as Nvidia’s previous flagship RTX 4090 GPU? Turns out the answer is yes. Kinda.

LatestCruel is a frantic run-and-gun shooter where you boot cultists out of windows in a cursed apartment block that wants you deadSee more latest►

Latest

Cruel is a frantic run-and-gun shooter where you boot cultists out of windows in a cursed apartment block that wants you dead

Cruel

Cruel is a frantic run-and-gun shooter where you boot cultists out of windows in a cursed apartment block that wants you dead

See more latest►

Most Popular

My Summer Car, the absurdly detailed Finnish life sim about vehicle maintenance and drinking in your underpants, smashes into 1.0 after nearly a decade in Steam early access

Assassin’s Creed Shadows takes a run at improving parkour, as Ubisoft strives to make the system less ‘like a gas pedal’

Today’s Wordle answer for Saturday, January 11

The Last of Us season 2 trailer is a brief look at a story you should probably just play yourself in April

Lords of the Fallen publisher embraces fear of the DEI boogeyman, says it will not include ‘any social or political agendas’ in its games

Epic CEO Tim Sweeney says tech leaders are ‘pretending to be Republicans’ to gain favor with Trump, skirt antitrust laws, and ultimately ‘rip off consumers and crush competitors’

If you’re trying to convince me your ‘companionship’ robot is ‘lifelike’, maybe don’t rip her face off in the demo video

Square Enix launches new anti-harassment policy to protect its employees and partners from abusive fans

The Sims begins its 25th anniversary celebration next week with a Behind The Sims episode of news and announcements

Path of Exile 2 numberlord spends 16 straight days killing rare monsters to prove that a stat that makes loot better makes better loot

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review4Ikea Utespelare desk review5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

A bunch of the best Steam Deck accessories on a blue background.

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

Thank Goodness You’re Here review

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback

Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback

3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

4Ikea Utespelare desk review

Ikea Utespelare desk review

5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals#

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals