(May 11): OpenAI will acquire a consulting company to contribute to a new private equity-backed joint venture to help drive adoption of its artificial intelligence (AI) software across more businesses.
The ChatGPT maker said Monday that it has agreed to buy consulting and engineering company Tomoro to help staff up the new entity, called OpenAI Deployment Company, with roughly 150 employees focused on deploying AI software. Tomoro has previously worked with companies such as Virgin Atlantic Airways and Supercell, OpenAI said.
Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
The moves are part of a growing effort among AI model makers to convince more corporate customers to pay for the technology they have spent billions of dollars to create. Tech firms are aggressively recruiting “forward-deployed engineers”, such as those working at Tomoro, to explain to businesses how AI services can improve their operations.
OpenAI has partnered with investors including TPG Inc, Brookfield Asset Management, Advent and Bain Capital, who will contribute more US$4 billion ($5.1 billion) to the joint venture, it said. The new company is majority-owned and controlled by OpenAI. Bloomberg News previously reported the investment partners and ownership structure.
OpenAI rival Anthropic PBC announced last week that it’s partnering with Blackstone Inc, Hellman & Friedman and Goldman Sachs Group Inc to form a similar company.
See also: SoftBank’s Son in talks for major data centre project in France — Bloomberg
Uploaded by Tham Yek Lee
