The highly anticipated OpenAI hardware plan has finally received a clear timeline. According to recent statements by Chris Lai, the company's policy director, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, OpenAI is fully advancing the development of its first hardware device and plans to officially launch the product in the second half of 2026. Although the official has not promised that the device will be available for sale within the year, the "debut" in the second half of the year is enough to excite the tech community.

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The team behind this mysterious hardware is extremely impressive. In addition to OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman, Apple's legendary former designer Jony Ive has also been deeply involved. The prototype of their first product has already been completed, and related work is ongoing. Additionally, Janum Trevedi, a senior engineer who previously worked on Apple's main screen, has joined the core design team and is participating in the development of the io series products, bringing deep interactive design elements to the product.

In terms of functionality, OpenAI seems to be targeting the audio interaction field. There are reports that the company is currently working hard to upgrade its audio model, aiming to create a hardware product with voice conversation as the core experience. As the end of 2026 approaches, this "AI hardware" designed to reshape human-computer interaction is gradually moving from concept to reality.

Key Points:

  • 🗓️ Release Date Confirmed: OpenAI has officially confirmed that its first AI hardware product will be launched in the second half of 2026.

  • 🤝 Top-Flight Development Team: The product is co-created by Sam Altman and Apple's former chief designer Jony Ive, and the prototype has already been completed.

  • 🎙️ Core Interaction Direction: The new device is expected to focus on audio interaction, and OpenAI is upgrading its underlying audio model accordingly.