OpenAI seeks US supply chain partners for major robotics and consumer devices expansion

OpenAI Issues Requests for Proposals to US Manufacturing Partners

OpenAI has issued requests for proposals from companies that manufacture in the United States, seeking components such as silicon, motors, packaging material, and data center cooling equipment1

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. The move signals the ChatGPT maker's intention to bolster its US supply chain as it prepares for a major product expansion into robotics and consumer devices, alongside a massive data center expansion planned for the coming years. While the requests don't specify how much OpenAI intends to spend or over what time frame, the company has previously stated it plans to devote trillions of dollars to AI infrastructure1

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Aggressive Push Into Robotics and Consumer AI Devices

OpenAI's interest in US manufacturing partners for robotics components suggests the company is moving more aggressively into that sector. Chris Lehane, OpenAI's chief global affairs officer, said the company believes the robotics industry will blossom more quickly than some expect1

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Though China currently has an advantage in hardware manufacturing, Lehane noted that the US may have an edge in developing the AI brains for robotics2

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. The company has already acquired an AI device startup co-founded by Apple Inc. veteran Jony Ive, marking a significant step toward entering the consumer device market1

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. Sam Altman and Jony Ive announced in November 2025 that the company's first device would be ready in less than two years3

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. The AI startup expects users of future personal AI devices to communicate through voice commands rather than via a screen, and plans to release a new audio model during the first quarter, followed by several personal AI devices including glasses and a smart speaker over time3

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Data Center Expansion and the Stargate Project

OpenAI has previously used such requests for proposals to solicit ideas and partners for its Stargate project, an effort to build $500 billion in US data centers and AI infrastructure over the next few years1

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. The company sees data center expansion as directly tied to its ability to boost revenue. In a November deal with Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., known as Foxconn, OpenAI secured the ability to design and manufacture hardware for data centers, ensuring that server racks can be produced in the United States1

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. OpenAI also announced it will integrate 750 megawatts of ultra-low latency compute from chipmaker Cerebras to accelerate the response time of its AI models3

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. The data center request specifically asks for ideas on keeping AI chips from overheating, though Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said last week that his company's next chip generation may be able to be cooled without some of the traditional gear1

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Reindustrializing the US Through AI Manufacturing

"AI is a catalyst for the reindustrializing of the country," Chris Lehane said in an interview. "We do have to bring back the supply chain here"1

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. The move to strengthen the hardware supply chain aligns with a key priority of the Trump administration to spur manufacturing of components in the US1

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. In October 2025, Sam Altman said OpenAI would like to build an AI factory to make 1 gigawatt of compute per week of new capacity. At the time, the company had committed to about 30 gigawatts of compute with a total cost of ownership of about $1.4 trillion3

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. Shares of Symbotic Inc., which offers robotics and warehouse automation, gained as much as 5.2% to $71.55 following the news1

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. The scale of OpenAI's ambitions suggests a fundamental shift in how AI companies approach hardware development, moving from pure software providers to integrated hardware and software manufacturers operating cloud data centers at unprecedented scale.