April 16 (Reuters) - OpenAI has agreed to pay chip startup Cerebras more than $20 billion over the next three years to use servers powered by the company's chips, under a deal that could also give the ChatGPT maker an equity stake in the firm, The Information reported on Thursday, citing sources.
The development comes as OpenAI attempts to pull ahead in the AI race and meet growing demand. In January, the company agreed to buy up to 750 megawatts of computing capacity from Cerebras over three years
in a deal valued at more than $10 billion.
The commitments reported by The Information on Thursday exceed OpenAI's earlier reported agreement with the chipmaker.
Reuters could not independently verify the report. OpenAI did not respond to a request for comment outside regular business hours, while Cerebras declined to comment.
The deal highlights the industry’s growing appetite for computing power to run inference - the process by which AI models generate responses - as companies race to develop reasoning models and applications aimed at driving wider adoption.
Sunnyvale, California-based Cerebras could disclose parts of its previously undisclosed arrangement with OpenAI as soon as Friday, the report said.
Under the deal, OpenAI will receive warrants for a minority stake in Cerebras, with its ownership potentially increasing as its spending rises, The Information reported. It added that OpenAI has also agreed to provide Cerebras about $1 billion to help fund the development of data centers that would run its AI products.
OpenAI’s total spending over the next three years could reach $30 billion, which may translate into warrants representing up to 10% of Cerebras, the report added.
(Reporting by Mrinmay Dey in Mexico City; Editing by Sonia Cheema)
