Openai's CFO reveals ai-driven chip design and cost-efficient model deployment

At the recent high-profile Communacopia + Technology Conference in San Francisco, OpenAI's Chief Financial Officer, Sarah Friar, highlighted the company's strategic shift toward industry-specific AI solutions. OpenAI is expanding into chip design, life sciences, and financial services, emphasizing tailored AI systems for enterprise clients. The company is also experimenting with pricing models based on business outcomes rather than usage metrics, aligning with growing demand for measurable ROI from AI investments. Friar disclosed that OpenAI has successfully used its self-developed AI models to aid in the development of the Jalapeno chip, completing the 'taped out' phase in nine months. Additionally, OpenAI recently reduced the price of its Luna model by 80%, leading to a tenfold increase in usage. She also noted that Codex, OpenAI's programming tool, now has 25 million users. Friar further claimed that deploying Luna could be cheaper than using Chinese open-source models like GLM 5.3 in cloud environments, underscoring OpenAI's competitive edge in cost efficiency.