Altman says scarce DRAM belongs in data centers, not PCs

On Cheeky Pint, Sam Altman argued idle PC DRAM should sit in cloud data centers and said OpenAI is designing a custom AI chip.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told the Cheeky Pint podcast that limited DRAM is better allocated to cloud data centers than personal computers, which he said use it only about five percent of the time. He said many people expect open-source models to remove the need for data-center memory, and he rejected that view. Hacker News reports he claimed OpenAI may buy 40 percent of global DRAM output and is designing a custom AI processor called Jalapeno, described as designed by AI for AI. The Verge links Samsung and SK Hynix long-term deals with cloud operators and OpenAI’s Stargate project to higher laptop and phone prices. Hacker News also ties the comments to rising memory prices and Micron’s exit from consumer memory, which Micron has called less essential than AI data-center demand.