OpenAI, the pioneering artificial intelligence company behind ChatGPT, has made a decisive move into the hardware arena by acquiring io, a startup founded by Sir Jony Ive, the iconic former chief design officer at Apple. The deal, valued at approximately $6.4 billion, signals a bold ambition to create a new generation of AI-centric devices, potentially reshaping how humans interact with artificial intelligence, reports BBC.
The acquisition, largely an all-equity transaction announced Wednesday, will see Ive and his team at io spearhead the design of a “new family of products” for OpenAI. While specific details about the upcoming devices remain under wraps, the collaboration aims to develop hardware that natively integrates AI, offering experiences beyond current screen-based interactions. Ive’s independent design firm, LoveFrom, will also play a significant creative role while maintaining its autonomy.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Jony Ive have reportedly been in quiet collaboration for the past two years, with io being established about a year ago to materialize their shared vision. The startup, which includes several Apple veterans like Scott Cannon, Evans Hankey, and Tang Tan, will now form a new hardware division within OpenAI, to be led by OpenAI executive Peter Welinder. OpenAI had previously held a 23% stake in io.
In public statements, both Altman and Ive have expressed a desire to move beyond the limitations of existing technology. Altman has hinted at creating devices that offer a more seamless and intuitive way to access AI’s capabilities, while Ive has suggested that current technology products are “decades old” and that AI necessitates new forms of interaction.
This venture places OpenAI in direct competition with other tech giants already exploring AI hardware, including Meta and Google. However, the combination of OpenAI’s advanced AI models and Ive’s legendary design prowess—responsible for iconic products like the iPhone, iPod, and iMac—is poised to create significant ripples in the industry. Market analysts suggest the first devices from this collaboration could emerge as early as 2026, with speculation ranging from sophisticated voice-first interfaces and wearables to entirely novel product categories.
The move underscores OpenAI’s strategy to build a vertically integrated AI company, controlling everything from model development to the end-user hardware experience. For Jony Ive, this marks a high-profile return to consumer hardware design, focused on what he and Altman believe will be the next paradigm in computing.
“I have a growing sense that everything I have learned over the last 30 years has led me to this moment,” Ive stated, expressing excitement about the “substantial work ahead.” Altman lauded Ive as “the greatest designer in the world,” emphasizing the ambition to “completely reimagine what it means to use a computer.”
The tech world will be keenly watching as this powerful partnership unfolds, anticipating a new chapter in the evolution of artificial intelligence and personal technology.
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