OpenAI, Qualcomm and MediaTek target 2028 AI smartphone chip

OpenAI has agreed with Qualcomm and MediaTek to develop processors for smartphones, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo in a post on X on 27 April. Kuo said Luxshare is part of the project as the exclusive co-design and manufacturing partner, and said mass production is planned for 2028.

Kuo said the project aims at future smartphones built around AI agents rather than conventional apps. He said specifications and supplier selection should be finalized by late 2026 or in the first quarter of 2027, and estimated the initial target market as the global high-end smartphone segment with 300 million to 400 million units shipped per year. Kuo also compared the economics with the MediaTek x Google TPU Zebrafish chip and said one such chip generates revenue roughly equal to 30 to 40 processors for AI-agent smartphones.

The project adds to OpenAI's broader push into consumer hardware. On the same day as Kuo's post, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman wrote on X that it was a good time to rethink operating systems and user interfaces, and that the internet should have a protocol usable by both people and agents. Mobile World Live also noted that OpenAI formalized the acquisition of former Apple designer Jony Ive's AI device startup in May 2025. Kuo said Luxshare could benefit from an early position in the supply chain, while Foxconn remains difficult to displace in Apple device assembly.