ChatGPT creator OpenAI might start making its own AI chips

It's Monday, October 09, 2023.

(Apologies for the delay, here's today's edition!)

According to Reuters, OpenAI is exploring making its own artificial intelligence chips, even looking into an acquisition. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman previously blamed GPU shortages for users’ concerns regarding the company API’s speed and reliability, leading to these moves. OpenAI using its own chips could reduce its costs too. Based on analysis by Bernstein Research, each ChatGPT query costs the company around four cents.

At the moment, NVIDIA controls the market for chips that power AI applications. The Microsoft supercomputer OpenAI used to develop its technology, for instance, uses 10,000 NVIDIA GPUs. Microsoft, OpenAI’s biggest backer, has been working on its own AI chip since 2019.

— Mat Smith

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NASA will reveal on Wednesday what OSIRIS-REx brought back from asteroid Bennu

A first look at its asteroid sample.

NASA/Keegan Barber

NASA will give the public a look at the asteroid sample brought back to Earth by its OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. A livestream of the reveal is set for 11 AM ET on Wednesday, October 11. OSIRIS-REx grabbed its sample from Bennu back in 2020, then spent a year-and-a-half observing the asteroid before returning to Earth in May 2021. “The very best ‘problem’ to have is that there is so much material, it’s taking longer than we expected to collect it,” said Christopher Snead, NASA’s deputy OSIRIS-REx curation lead.

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Atari is releasing a new cartridge for its 46-year-old 2600 console

Save Mary never hit store shelves.

Atari just announced pre-orders for a physical cartridge of the company’s once-ubiquitous 2600 console. The game, Save Mary, was developed during the console’s golden years, before being shelved when the 2600 went the way of the dodo. If you want to play it, you don’t need to dust down your old 2600. Conveniently, Atari sells an upgraded version of the console, called the 2600+. What a relief.

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X tests three paid subscription tiers

It looks like this will determine how many ads you see.

Bloomberg reports that X is testing a trio of subscription tiers to help solve its financial woes. Details are scant, but these paid subscription options are likely to impact the number of ads you might see when using the platform. It looks like it’ll break down into Basic, Standard and Plus. Basic users will continue to see the regular number of ads, while standard users will see half, equivalent to what folks who pay $8 each month get at the moment. Plus users will see no ads whatsoever, for however much that might cost.

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Engadget Podcast: Google’s Pixel 8 phones and Pixel Watch 2

And Samsung launched even more devices.

Engadget

This week, Cherlynn and Devindra chat with Engadget’s Sam Rutherford about everything from the Made by Google event. That includes the Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro and Pixel Watch 2. We give Google credit for leaning on AI long before it was trendy, but we wonder if the Pixel 8 Pro’s temperature sensor will actually be useful.

Listen here.