AI Labs Buy Stakes in Chipmakers

Updated: 2025.12.02 3D ago 4 sources
OpenAI reportedly secured warrants for up to 160 million AMD shares—potentially a 10% stake—tied to deploying 6 gigawatts of compute. This flips the usual supplier‑financing story, with a major AI customer gaining direct equity in a critical chip supplier. It hints at tighter vertical entanglement in the AI stack. — Customer–supplier equity links could concentrate market power, complicate antitrust, and reshape industrial and energy policy as AI demand surges.

Sources

Amazon To Use Nvidia Tech In AI Chips, Roll Out New Servers
BeauHD 2025.12.02 62% relevant
The article shows another form of vertical entanglement between AI compute buyers and chip/IP owners: AWS adopting Nvidia's NVLink Fusion standard and co‑branding 'AI Factories' echoes the broader pattern where customers and vendors form tighter, often proprietary ties (the existing idea described customers or labs taking equity stakes or other deep links with chip suppliers). Here the connection is via architectural standard adoption (NVLink) and product integration rather than equity, but it produces similar market power and coupling.
Nvidia's Huang Says He's Surprised AMD Offered 10% of the Company in 'Clever' OpenAI Deal
msmash 2025.10.08 90% relevant
The article reiterates the core facts of OpenAI’s warrants for up to 160M AMD shares (~10%) tied to a 6 GW chip procurement and adds Jensen Huang’s on‑record reaction calling the deal 'clever' and 'surprising,' reinforcing the significance of customer–supplier equity entanglement in the AI stack.
OpenAI and AMD Strike Multibillion-Dollar Chip Partnership
msmash 2025.10.06 95% relevant
The article reports OpenAI committing to 6 GW of AMD chips and receiving warrants for up to 160 million AMD shares (~10%), precisely matching the described customer–supplier equity tie-up that concentrates power and reshapes competition in AI hardware.
Links for 2025-10-06
Alexander Kruel 2025.10.06 100% relevant
CNBC report: OpenAI–AMD 6 GW agreement with warrants enabling up to a 10% OpenAI stake in AMD.
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