According to China’s Kechuangban Daily on Sunday, TF International Securities IT analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, known for tracking Apple’s supply chain, said OpenAI is pursuing development of its own smartphone.
In a post on X, Kuo said OpenAI is developing smartphone processors with MediaTek and Qualcomm, and he forecast that Luxshare would serve as the exclusive partner for joint system design and manufacturing. He projected mass production in 2028.
Kuo described the concept as an “AI agent phone,” differing from the current model in which users open and operate apps themselves. In his view, the phone would understand a user’s situation and context, and an AI agent would carry out needed tasks on the user’s behalf.
He said OpenAI’s motivation is to gain control over the operating system and hardware, arguing that offering a comprehensive AI agent service would be limited if it relied only on a ChatGPT app running on existing smartphones. Smartphones also hold large amounts of real-time user information, including location, schedules, conversations and usage habits.
OpenAI’s hardware push has already taken shape. The company acquired io, a hardware startup co-founded by Jony Ive, who led iPhone design. After the acquisition, the io team joined OpenAI, and Ive’s side has continued to take part in OpenAI product design work.
If Kuo’s forecast is correct, OpenAI’s aim would be to make the smartphone a primary gateway for its AI models and agent services. That could introduce a new variable for ecosystems dominated by Apple and Samsung Electronics, which are built around iOS and Android and the App Store and Google Play. If OpenAI releases an AI agent device, it could accelerate a shift toward AI calling apps and services in the background to deliver results, rather than users selecting and launching apps themselves.
Still, the report remains an analyst’s projection, and uncertainty is high. OpenAI, Qualcomm, MediaTek and Luxshare have not officially confirmed the details. Challenges before any mass production include technical readiness, handling personal data, and securing an operating system and app ecosystem.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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