OPENAI SIGNALS HARDWARE DEBUT AS JONY IVE-LED TEAM EXPANDS

OpenAI has confirmed that its first consumer hardware project remains on schedule for unveiling in the second half of 2026, offering the clearest timeline yet for a device that has been under development since the company brought in former Apple design leadership.

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The update came from Chris Lehane, OpenAI's global chief executive, who said at an Axios House event in Davos that the project is “progressing as planned.”

The comments mark the first time OpenAl has publicly attached a specific timeframe to the device since it began assembling a dedicated hardware group following its acquisition of a design-focused startup associated with Jony Ive. While OpenAl has not disclosed the form factor, functionality, or launch strategy, the acknowledgment signals that the effort has moved beyond exploratory research into a more defined development phase.

A HARDWARE STRATEGY TAKING SHAPE

OpenAl's interest in hardware reflects a broader reassessment across the Al industry about how users interact with large language models and generative systems. Software interfaces—apps, web browsers, and operating systems—have so far been the primary access points. Internally, however, OpenAl executives have suggested that new classes of devices could better support contextual, always-available Al experiences without relying on conventional screens or keyboards.

The company has avoided describing the project as a direct competitor to smartphones or existing wearables. Instead, people familiar with the effort have characterized it as an attempt to rethink how Al is accessed in daily life, with hardware and software designed together rather than layered on top of legacy platforms.

JONY IVE'S ROLE AND DESIGN DIRECTION