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AMD Collaborates with AI Startups to Enhance Chip and Software Development

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Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) is strengthening its ties with a range of artificial intelligence startups to improve both its chip hardware and software ecosystems, aiming to better compete against dominant players like Nvidia.

In its pursuit to build a competitive line of AI chips, AMD has acquired companies such as server maker ZT Systems and several small software firms to boost its talent pool and software capabilities. The company is focused on enhancing ROCm, its AI software platform, to better support the complex needs of AI developers.

Vamsi Boppana, AMD’s senior vice president of AI, described the effort as a “thoughtful, deliberate, multi-generational journey” aimed at creating hardware and software that meet evolving AI demands.

One of AMD’s key customers benefiting from these software improvements is AI enterprise startup Cohere, which focuses on building AI models tailored for large businesses. Cohere CEO Aidan Gomez said AMD’s enhancements have drastically shortened the time it takes to adapt their software to AMD chips—from weeks down to days—improving agility in deployment.

On the hardware front, OpenAI has played a notable role in shaping AMD’s upcoming MI450 series AI chips. Forrest Norrod, AMD’s executive vice president, revealed that feedback from OpenAI influenced the design of the MI450’s memory architecture and chip scalability to accommodate thousands of chips working together for AI applications. OpenAI also guided AMD on optimizing the chips for specific mathematical operations vital for AI workloads.

The MI400 series will underpin AMD’s new “Helios” server expected next year, designed to rival Nvidia’s integrated AI servers that link hundreds or thousands of GPUs.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman appeared alongside AMD at their recent San Jose event, highlighting the ongoing collaboration between the two organizations.

AMD Unveils AI Server and Chips as OpenAI Joins Development Effort

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AMD CEO Lisa Su introduced a major new line of AI hardware on Thursday, unveiling both the MI350 and MI400 series of AI chips and announcing plans to release the company’s first AI server, called “Helios,” in 2026. The launch signals AMD’s most direct challenge yet to Nvidia’s dominance in the AI server and chip market.

The announcement was made at AMD’s “Advancing AI” developer conference in San Jose, California. The Helios servers will house 72 MI400 chips, designed to compete directly with Nvidia’s current NVL72 servers powered by its Blackwell processors. In a notable difference from Nvidia’s closed ecosystem, Su emphasized that many aspects of AMD’s server and networking standards would be openly available to the broader industry, including rivals like Intel.

“The future of AI is not going to be built by any one company or in a closed ecosystem. It’s going to be shaped by open collaboration across the industry,” Su stated.

Su was joined on stage by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who confirmed that OpenAI is already working with AMD on its MI450 chips to help optimize them for AI workloads. Altman remarked on OpenAI’s rapid infrastructure growth, calling the pace “crazy” and noting continued expansion with AMD’s hardware.

Executives from Meta Platforms, Elon Musk’s xAI, and Oracle also appeared during the event to showcase how their companies are adopting AMD’s processors. Additionally, Crusoe, a cloud provider specializing in AI, disclosed plans to purchase $400 million worth of AMD’s new chips.

Despite the announcement, AMD shares slipped 2.2%, with analysts suggesting the company still faces significant headwinds in dislodging Nvidia’s dominant market position. Summit Insights analyst Kinngai Chan noted that the newly announced products are unlikely to shift the competitive balance immediately.

AMD has aggressively expanded its AI capabilities over the past year, completing its acquisition of server manufacturer ZT Systems in March and making 25 strategic investments in AI-related startups. The company recently hired engineers from Untether AI and Lamini, further strengthening its chip design and software development teams.

However, AMD’s ROCm software stack continues to lag behind Nvidia’s highly entrenched CUDA platform, which many in the industry see as a major factor behind Nvidia’s dominance.

Nevertheless, AMD remains optimistic about its growth prospects, even as U.S. export controls tighten on AI chip sales to China. When reporting earnings in May, Su reiterated expectations for strong double-digit growth in AI chip sales despite these headwinds.