OpenAI acquires smartphone camera tech firm for over $300M
What's the story
OpenAI, the artificial intelligence (AI) giant behind ChatGPT, has acquired smartphone camera technology firm Glass Imaging for over $300 million. Founded in 2019 by former Apple engineers Ziv Attar and Tom Bishop, Glass Imaging specializes in using AI to enhance smartphone photography. The company had previously raised around $30 million from investors.
Technological advancement
Glass Imaging's approach to smartphone photography
Glass Imaging's unique approach to smartphone photography involves using neural networks to understand individual camera systems on different smartphone models.
This allows them to improve image quality from the moment the shutter clicks, rather than relying on post-processing edits.
The company's founders, Attar and Bishop, previously led the team that developed Apple's Portrait Mode.
Hardware expansion
OpenAI's push into hardware
The acquisition of Glass Imaging marks a major step in OpenAI's expansion into hardware development.
The company has been rumored to be working on its own range of devices, including smartphones, earbuds, and AI companion devices.
In 2025, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Apple designer Jony Ive had announced their collaboration on a device start-up called Io. This was after OpenAI acquired Ive's company for $6.5 billion.