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OpenAI has unveiled Jalapeño, its first custom chip for running AI models, co-designed with Broadcom to reduce reliance on Nvidia and improve the economics of serving AI responses to users.

TechCrunch AI3h ago4 min read
OpenAI has unveiled Jalapeño, its first custom chip for running AI models, co-designed with Broadcom to reduce reliance on Nvidia and improve the economics of serving AI responses to users.

Key takeaway

OpenAI has unveiled Jalapeño, a custom inference chip developed with Broadcom, which early testing shows delivers better performance-per-watt than existing options. By building its own chip alongside models and data centers, OpenAI aims to lower the cost of serving AI responses to users and reduce its dependence on Nvidia.

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3 Key Points

  • What happened

    OpenAI announced Jalapeño, a custom-built inference processor designed with Broadcom. The chip is still being tested, but early results show significantly better performance-per-watt than current alternatives, according to the company.

  • Why it matters

    Running AI models to answer user requests (inference) is a major cost for OpenAI. A more efficient chip for this task could substantially lower operating expenses. Google and Amazon have already built similar custom chips for the same reason.

  • What to watch

    Jalapeño is optimized specifically for inference workloads like real-time coding models. More demanding tasks such as pre-training are still expected to rely on Nvidia hardware. The company is integrating the chip as part of a broader strategy to control its entire stack—from model development to data center operations to hardware.

FAQ

When will Jalapeño be available to use?
The chip is currently still being tested; no release date or availability timeline is stated in the announcement.
What is Jalapeño designed to do?
Jalapeño is specifically designed for inference—the process of running pre-built AI models in response to user commands. The company has emphasized its low operating cost when running real-time coding models.
Why is OpenAI building its own chip?
OpenAI says it has developed a deep understanding of its inference workload and wants to reduce dependence on Nvidia's GPUs. By controlling the entire stack—models, data centers, and hardware—the company can optimize each layer around the same goal: making its models faster, more reliable, and more affordable for users.

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