OpenAI custom Broadcom chip 2027

OpenAI’s custom chip effort has moved from rumor to a more defined 2027 target, according to reports published in March and May. Reuters reported on March 4 that Broadcom aimed to ship OpenAI’s first AI chip in 2027 and deliver more than 1 gigawatt worth of those processors. (money.usnews.com) IBTimes reported on May 16 that Broadcom is building custom AI chips for OpenAI alongside work for Google, Anthropic and Meta. Broadcom’s comments tied the OpenAI program to a broader expansion in custom AI silicon. On Broadcom’s March 4 earnings discussion, CEO Hock Tan said the company had line of sight to AI chip revenue above $100 billion in 2027, as demand from a small group of large customers increased. (cnbc.com) Reuters’ account of that call said OpenAI’s first chip was part of that outlook. The reporting does not show OpenAI or Broadcom issuing a fresh standalone announcement this week. The story, as of May 17, rests on Broadcom-linked reporting from March and a May 16 IBTimes profile that named OpenAI among Broadcom’s custom-chip customers. (money.usnews.com) ### When did this OpenAI-Broadcom chip plan first surface? Reuters reported in February 2025 that OpenAI was finalizing the design of its first in-house AI chip and planned to send it to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. for fabrication. That report said OpenAI was working with Broadcom on the effort and targeting mass production in 2026. (cnbc.com) The February 2025 report also said OpenAI’s internal chip team was being led by Richard Ho, a former Google chip executive, and had grown to about 40 people. Reuters said the first chip would be capable of both training and running AI models, though its initial role inside OpenAI’s infrastructure was expected to be limited. (money.usnews.com) ### What exactly did Broadcom say about 2027? March 4 was the key date. Reuters reported that Tan said Broadcom expected to deliver 1 gigawatt of TPUs for Anthropic in 2026, rising to 3 gigawatts in 2027, and that Broadcom aimed to ship OpenAI’s first AI chip in 2027 with more than 1 gigawatt of capacity. (finance.yahoo.com) That figure matters because Broadcom described OpenAI alongside a handful of very large AI customers. CNBC’s account of the same earnings call said Tan saw AI chip revenue “significantly in excess of $100 billion” in 2027, driven by custom silicon demand from major clients. Reuters’ version specifically linked OpenAI’s planned chip shipments to that buildout. (finance.yahoo.com) ### Where does TSMC fit into the project? TSMC was identified in Reuters’ February 2025 report as the manufacturer OpenAI planned to use for its first in-house chip. The report said OpenAI intended to send the design to TSMC after the tape-out stage, the industry step where a design is finalized for fabrication. (money.usnews.com) The same Reuters report, as summarized by follow-on coverage, said the chip would be made on TSMC’s 3-nanometer process. OpenAI and TSMC declined to comment at the time, according to Reuters. ### Is this meant to replace Nvidia right away? (cnbc.com) Reuters reported in February 2025 that OpenAI was pursuing its own chip partly to reduce reliance on Nvidia. The same report said the first generation would likely have a limited deployment at the outset rather than immediately replacing the bulk of OpenAI’s existing infrastructure. (finance.yahoo.com) OpenAI’s chip work also sits alongside other supply arrangements rather than in place of them. Reuters said the company had been seeking alternatives and more leverage in a market where Nvidia remained the dominant supplier for AI training systems. (trendforce.com) ### What has been confirmed publicly as of May 17? IBTimes on May 16 named Broadcom as a company building custom AI chips for OpenAI, but the article did not add a new formal statement from OpenAI. The clearest dated reporting on timing and scale remains Reuters’ March 4 account of Broadcom’s 2027 target and February 2025 reporting on OpenAI’s design and manufacturing path. (finance.yahoo.com) The next concrete milestone is likely to come from Broadcom earnings disclosures, OpenAI statements, or manufacturing updates involving TSMC. As of May 17, 2026, the reported target remains first OpenAI chip shipments in 2027 at more than 1 gigawatt of capacity. (money.usnews.com) (ibtimes.com) (finance.yahoo.com)