OpenAI is seeking U.S.-based hardware suppliers as it accelerates its expansion into consumer devices, robotics and artificial intelligence infrastructure, according to people familiar with the matter.
The ChatGPT maker has issued requests for proposals (RFPs) to American manufacturers covering a wide range of components, including chips, motors, packaging materials and cooling equipment for data centres, the sources said. The move comes as OpenAI steps up efforts to build its own hardware ecosystem alongside its fast-growing AI software business.
The search for domestic suppliers reflects both the scale of OpenAI’s hardware ambitions and growing interest among U.S. technology firms in strengthening local supply chains amid geopolitical tensions and government support for onshore manufacturing.
OpenAI has made a series of strategic moves into hardware over the past year. In May 2025, the company announced the acquisition of io, an AI device startup co-founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive, often referred to as the “father of the iPhone.” The deal was completed in July.
In November, OpenAI also disclosed an agreement with Foxconn to jointly design and manufacture next-generation AI infrastructure hardware in the United States, marking one of its most concrete steps toward in-house hardware development.
The company’s growing focus on robotics, consumer AI devices and large-scale data centres signals a shift beyond purely software-driven models, as leading AI firms race to secure computing power and differentiated hardware to support increasingly complex systems.
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