OpenAI generated a lot of hype around the hardware last year after it acquired former Apple design chief Jony Ive’s startup io. While the company is tight-lipped about the upcoming product, OpenAI’s Chief Global Affairs Officer Chris Lehane said in a Panel hosted by Axios in Davos the AI startup is on track to announce its first hardware device in the second half of this year.
Last November, Sam Altman described the potential device as more “peaceful and calm” than iPhones. Earlier reports suggest that the company wants to make a device without a screen and pocket.
While the company is not spilling details, latest reports from Asian publications and leaks suggests that OpenAI’s first device could be a pair of headphones. According to reports, this device is codenamed ‘Sweet Pea’ and will have a unique design compared to existing handsets. The headset could run on a custom 2-nanometer processor and handle AI tasks locally instead of sending requests to the cloud.
A separate report from a major Taiwanese newspaper noted that OpenAI has been exploring a partnership with China-based Luxshare for manufacturing, but may ultimately lean toward Taiwan’s Foxconn. The report also said that in the first year of sales, OpenAI aims to ship 40 to 50 million units.
OpenAI’s ChatGPT has nearly a billion users per week, but the company has to rely on other devices and platforms for distribution. With its own device, it may want to have more control over the development and distribution of the AI assistant and also release exclusive and purpose-built features.
However, replacing existing headphones like AirPods in users’ daily lives will be difficult if there is no strong integration with operating systems.
Until now, there hasn’t been a standout AI device success story. Last year, Humane AI Pin was sold to HP. Rabbit continues to move forward after the initial hype of 2024. And the accompanying Friend AI necklace received a swift backlash for its marketing tactics.
Techcrunch event
San Francisco
|
13-15 October 2026
That said, big tech companies are making moves into wearables. Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses are getting better and better in scope and scale to the point that the Facebook maker can’t keep up with the demand. And Amazon recently acquired Bee, an AI meeting recorder that could moonlight as a companion.
