OpenAI fired the starting gun for the AI race in late 2022 with the launch of ChatGPT and has since become one of the most valuable startups in the world, reaching hundreds of millions of users every day. Its success, however, has depended on a web of partnerships with other companies that make the silicon chips upon which its AI systems depend. On Wednesday, OpenAI took its biggest step yet towards full technological independence with the unveiling of a n