Dive Brief:
- OpenAI is inviting manufacturers, suppliers, and partners to submit detailed proposals for critical components and systems used in its AI hardware and data center infrastructure.
- The AI research and services company has issued a request for proposals for critical components and systems to expand U.S. manufacturing of AI hardware and increase compute capacity for running AI software, the company said in a Jan. 15 blog post.
- "When people talk about AI infrastructure, the conversation often stops at chips and data centers," OpenAI said. "But advanced AI depends on a much broader ecosystem of physical components: the racks, cabling, networking gear, cooling systems, power systems, power electronics, electromechanical modules, and testing and assembly capacity are all required to bring it all online at scale."
Dive Insight:
OpenAI has invested heavily in building the compute capacity needed to power its large language models and other advanced AI systems. Much of the company's investment is tied to Stargate, a roughly $500 billion initiative to develop large-scale AI data centers and supporting power infrastructure in the U.S. Unveiled a year ago, the effort involves major partners, including SoftBank, Oracle, Nvidia and Microsoft.
To support its growth, OpenAI has issued an RFP for a variety of components, systems and services. They include modules, tooling, equipment, and final assembly for consumer electronics, as well as inputs for advanced robotics, such as gearboxes, motors, and power electronics.
The RFP is also aimed at companies providing U.S.-based manufacturing of compute, power, cooling and supporting data center hardware.
"Our RFP aims to build on momentum that already exists by identifying where targeted partnerships, demand signals, and coordination can help unlock faster growth, larger scale, and more durable U.S. leadership in AI," the company said.
OpenAI has set a June 2026 deadline for RFP submissions, followed by vendor selection in March 2027 and joint planning in April 2027.
