OpenAI signs deal, worth $10B, for compute from Cerebras

OpenAI announced Wednesday that it had reached a multi-year agreement with AI chipmaker Cerebras. The chipmaker will deliver 750 megawatts of compute to the AI giant starting this year and continuing through the year 2028, Cerebras said.

The deal is worth over $10 billion, a source familiar with the details told TechCrunch. Reuters also reported the deal size.

Both companies said that the deal is about delivering faster outputs for OpenAI’s customers. In a blog post, OpenAI said these systems would speed responses that currently require more time to process. Andrew Feldman, co-founder and CEO of Cerebras, said just as “broadband transformed the internet, real-time inference will transform AI.”

Cerebras has been around for over a decade but its star has risen significantly since the launch of ChatGPT in 2022 and the AI boom that followed. The company claims its systems, built with its chips designed for AI use, are faster than GPU-based systems (such as Nvidia’s offerings).

Cerebras filed for an IPO in 2024 but since then has pushed it back a number of times. In the meantime, the company has continued to raise large amounts of money. On Tuesday, it was reported that the company was in talks to raise another billion dollars at a $22 billion valuation. It’s also worth noting that OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, is already an investor in the company and that OpenAI once considered acquiring it.

“OpenAI’s compute strategy is to build a resilient portfolio that matches the right systems to the right workloads,” said Sachin Katti of OpenAI in the company’s post. “Cerebras adds a dedicated low-latency inference solution to our platform. That means faster responses, more natural interactions, and a stronger foundation to scale real-time AI to many more people.”