Amazon reportedly in talks to invest $10B in OpenAI as circular deals stay popular

Core Insights - Amazon is in early discussions to invest up to $10 billion in OpenAI, potentially valuing the AI lab at over $500 billion [1][3] - This investment aligns with Amazon's strategy to diversify its AI initiatives, having previously invested $8 billion in Anthropic, a competitor to OpenAI [2] - OpenAI's transition to a for-profit model allows it greater flexibility to engage with investors beyond Microsoft, which holds a 27% stake [3] Investment Dynamics - The potential deal between Amazon and OpenAI reflects a trend where major hardware manufacturers and cloud providers collaborate with emerging AI companies, facilitating mutual benefits [4] - OpenAI has previously made strategic investments, including a $350 million equity investment in CoreWeave, which in turn purchased chips from Nvidia, enhancing both companies' revenue streams [5] - In October, OpenAI acquired a 10% stake in AMD and entered into a chip usage agreement with Broadcom, further solidifying its partnerships in the tech ecosystem [5]