OpenAI has incorporated Google Cloud into its roster of suppliers to address the growing demand for computing power necessary for its AI operations.
This addition is part of OpenAI’s broader strategy to diversify its computing resources, moving beyond reliance on Microsoft, its main backer. The agreement with Google Cloud was reportedly finalised in May after prolonged negotiations, marking a significant development in OpenAI’s infrastructure expansion efforts.
OpenAI, the developer of the AI model ChatGPT, also uses services from Oracle and CoreWeave alongside Microsoft.
The collaboration with Google underscores the substantial computing requirements needed for training and deploying AI models, a crucial aspect of maintaining and advancing AI capabilities in increasingly competitive markets.
Despite ChatGPT’s role as a competitor to Google’s search engine, executives of the Alphabet subsidiary have expressed that the outcome of AI advancements may not favour a single dominating player.
Since ChatGPT’s launch in late 2022, OpenAI has experienced a surge in demand for the computing capacity essential for training large language models and performing inference processing.
In line with its growth strategy, OpenAI awarded an $11.9bn contract to CoreWeave in March to enhance its AI infrastructure. This contract supports the global distribution of its models across a network that includes more than 250,000 Nvidia GPUs distributed over 32 data centres.
The partnership with Google Cloud represents OpenAI’s latest move to reduce dependency on Microsoft’s Azure cloud service, which until January functioned as its exclusive data centre provider.
Earlier collaborations include a partnership with SoftBank and Oracle on the $500bn Stargate infrastructure programme.
In parallel developments, OpenAI is reportedly planning to introduce a new revenue mechanism by integrating a payment checkout system within ChatGPT. According to a report by the Financial Times citing multiple informed sources, this system will allow merchants fulfilling orders through ChatGPT to pay commissions to OpenAI.
Although still under development, early versions are being presented to brands in collaboration with Shopify, reflecting an effort to capitalise on the platform’s high user traffic. This initiative complements an earlier enhancement aimed at improving product display and review features within ChatGPT.
“OpenAI taps into Google Cloud for expanded AI infrastructure” was originally created and published by Verdict, a GlobalData owned brand.
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