OpenAI Is Building a Phone — With Dual NPUs and Custom Silicon

OpenAI is apparently in a hurry to build its own smartphone. According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the company is fast-tracking an AI agent phone with mass production targeted as early as the first half of 2027.

The hardware specs are interesting. The device will pack two NPUs — neural processing units — alongside a custom MediaTek Dimensity 9600 system-on-chip. MediaTek appears to be the current frontrunner for the silicon partnership.

Two factors seem to be driving the accelerated timeline. First, the phone could bolster a narrative around OpenAI's anticipated year-end IPO. Second, competition in the AI agent phone space is heating up fast, and OpenAI clearly doesn't want to be late.

This marks OpenAI's first serious push into consumer hardware — a bold bet that AI-native devices need purpose-built phones, not just better apps on existing ones.