OpenAI has acquired selected patent assets from artificial intelligence chip start-up Rain AI after talks to buy the company ended without a completed deal, according to The Information.
The value of the transaction, the number of patents involved and the technologies covered have not been disclosed by either company.
Rain AI has almost stopped operating since the takeover discussions failed, The Information reported. Most of its employees have left, while it is not known whether any former Rain AI staff subsequently joined OpenAI through a separate arrangement.
The limited purchase gives OpenAI access to specific intellectual property without taking ownership of Rain AI as a whole. The patents could include chip designs or research relevant to the computing infrastructure needed to train and run advanced AI models.
OpenAI has not said how it intends to use the assets. There is also no confirmation that the patents are connected to plans for an OpenAI-designed processor.
Rain AI was founded about eight years ago to develop specialised hardware for artificial intelligence workloads. Its stated aim was to reduce the energy and computing requirements involved in both training AI models and running them after they have been developed.
The company worked on what it described as neuromorphic processing units, or NPUs. Those processors were intended to reproduce certain characteristics of the human brain while supporting AI training and inference.
One of Rain AI’s investors was Sam Altman, who invested in the company personally. That connection attracted additional attention because OpenAI also considered commercial arrangements with Rain AI.
In 2019, OpenAI signed a non-binding letter of intent to buy $51m (£38m) of Rain AI chips once they became available, according to documents previously reviewed by Wired. The arrangement did not lead to a completed purchase of the chips.
Rain AI subsequently faced difficulties in securing both funding and enough commercial interest. Reports in 2025 said the company had begun considering a sale after a planned $150m Series B funding round failed to go ahead.
The patent transaction comes as OpenAI seeks greater control over the infrastructure required to develop and operate its models. The most advanced AI systems depend on large quantities of specialist accelerators, substantial electricity supplies and extensive data-centre capacity.
Owning additional chip-related expertise could allow OpenAI to strengthen its internal capabilities or improve its position in negotiations with outside semiconductor companies. The purchase may also preserve technology that could otherwise have been lost as Rain AI winds down.
The agreement does not mean companies backed personally by Altman automatically receive financial support from OpenAI. Instead, the decision to buy only selected patents indicates that OpenAI chose particular technology after deciding not to acquire Rain AI outright.
Altman’s investment makes the deal a governance matter of interest, but available reporting does not identify a conflict of interest or explain whether he played any role in approving the purchase.
OpenAI’s interest in hardware is developing alongside increased attention in Washington to advanced AI systems and the infrastructure behind them.
Crypto.news reported in late July that OpenAI and Anthropic were working with the Trump administration on a consistent federal review process for models with advanced cybersecurity or national security capabilities. Although the two companies compete for customers, researchers and computing resources, they supported standards that would apply across the industry.
Under the proposed federal framework, developers could submit designated “covered frontier models” to the government for assessment for up to 30 days before making them available to other trusted partners. The White House finalised a voluntary framework in early August, although uncertainty remains over which models will meet the criteria.
The Rain AI deal concerns a separate area of OpenAI’s strategy, but both developments highlight the growing importance of US-controlled technology, computing capacity and intellectual property.
OpenAI has not said whether the Rain patents will be used for an internal chip programme, a licensing effort or future partnerships.
