Author：Wall Street CN
Having established its dominance in generative AI software, OpenAI is attempting to extend its influence to hardware. However, the AI giant's first consumer device is facing adjustments involving "specification downgrades."
Due to the soaring BOM (Bill of Materials) costs caused by the global memory chip crisis, this device, which carries OpenAI's ambition of "edge intelligence," is very likely to be downgraded to a "basic headset" that relies on the cloud at its initial launch.
From "Standalone Terminal" to "Basic Headphones"
According to well-known tech leaker Smart Pikachu, OpenAI's first hardware product, internally codenamed "Sweetpea," has been confirmed to be named "Dime" for consumer use.
The product's original technological blueprint was highly disruptive: it was planned to be equipped with Samsung's 2nm Exynos chip, giving the headphones independent computing capabilities comparable to smartphones to achieve complex on-device AI processing. However, this vision is hitting a "cost wall" in the supply chain. Due to the persistently high price of storage components, the BOM cost of high-specification chip solutions has spiraled out of control.
Driven by commercial rationale, OpenAI was forced to adjust its strategy. Smart Pikachu revealed that Dime's first-generation product may shed its high-computing-power "smartphone-like" attributes and revert to a "simple headset" product form.
This means that the "portable AI computing center" that users are looking forward to will be postponed, and the first product may only play the role of a mouthpiece for the large cloud model.
Vietnam manufacturing and the target of 50 million units
Despite compromises in product definition, OpenAI's commercialization efforts have been exceptionally aggressive. Company executive Lehane explicitly stated at the Davos Forum that hardware is a top priority project.
Taiwan's Economic Daily News previously reported that OpenAI is likely to...September 2026The product will likely be manufactured by Foxconn in Vietnam, with plans to sell 40 to 50 million units in the first year.
The second consumer-grade device
In addition to the headphones, OpenAI is also developing a second consumer device codenamed "Gumdrop." This device, resembling a pen or Apple's iPod Shuffle, features a screenless design and focuses on environmental awareness and interaction. Its core functions include:
Context awareness is achieved through cameras and microphones;
Run locally customized AI models, supplemented by cloud computing power support;
Supports instant conversion of handwritten notes into text and uploading to ChatGPT;
It has device-to-device communication capabilities similar to those of smartphones.
