OpenAI and Broadcom have announced Jalapeño, OpenAI’s first Intelligence Processor. The AI accelerator is designed around OpenAI’s vision for the future of large language model (LLM) inference and is the first chip in a multi-generation compute platform being developed with Broadcom and Celestica.
Jalapeño was delivered to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and President Greg Brockman by Broadcom President and CEO Hock Tan and President Charlie Kawwas.
OpenAI Jalapeño
OpenAI designed Jalapeño from the ground up using its understanding of LLM architectures, model roadmaps, kernels, serving systems, and product requirements.
Broadcom contributed silicon implementation, networking, and connectivity technologies, while Celestica provided board, rack, system integration, and production expertise.
Jalapeño is designed to support current and future LLMs and is informed by the inference requirements of AI models across the industry. The chip architecture is based on systems OpenAI operates across ChatGPT, Codex, API services, and future agentic products.
Engineering samples are already running machine learning workloads at target production frequency and power levels, including GPT-5.3-Codex-Spark.
Key Features
- Purpose-built architecture for modern LLM inference
- Designed specifically for AI inference rather than adapted from earlier accelerator designs
- Supports current and future large language models
- Optimized around models, kernels, serving systems, and product requirements
- Reduces data movement across the system
- Balances compute, memory, and networking resources
- Targets utilization closer to theoretical peak performance
- Designed to deliver higher performance per watt than current state-of-the-art AI accelerators
- Combines high throughput with latency closer to specialized inference systems
- Supports interactive AI workloads at scale
- Uses Broadcom’s Tomahawk networking silicon
- Supports large-scale deployment and production environments
OpenAI said performance testing is ongoing and a detailed technical report will be released in the coming months.
AI Infrastructure and Development
OpenAI said Jalapeño is part of its infrastructure stack, which includes chip architecture, kernels, memory systems, networking, scheduling, deployment systems, and product experience.
The chip was co-developed with Broadcom in nine months from initial design to manufacturing tape-out. The companies described it as the fastest ASIC development cycle achieved for a high-performance advanced semiconductor program.
OpenAI and Broadcom attributed the development timeline to software-hardware co-development and the use of OpenAI models during parts of the design and optimization process.
According to the companies, the same AI models used by customers today helped improve infrastructure that will support future AI systems. OpenAI said AI-assisted chip development could help reduce compute costs.
Multi-Generation Platform
Jalapeño is the first accelerator in a planned multi-generation compute platform scheduled for initial deployment by the end of 2026.
The platform combines:
- OpenAI-designed AI accelerators
- Broadcom silicon implementation technologies
- Broadcom networking and connectivity technologies
- Celestica board, rack, and system integration expertise
Additional generations of the platform are planned in the coming years.
Benefits
OpenAI said improvements in inference cost, speed, and reliability can contribute to:
- Faster ChatGPT responses
- Codex tasks that can perform more steps with less waiting
- Lower-cost API products
- More dependable access during periods of high demand
The company said the infrastructure is aimed at supporting students, developers, small businesses, researchers, enterprises, and other users.
Availability
Engineering samples of Jalapeño are currently running production-target machine learning workloads in laboratory environments. Initial deployment of the Jalapeño platform is planned by the end of 2026.
Speaking on the announcement, Greg Brockman, President and Co-Founder of OpenAI, said:
The world is moving toward a compute-powered economy. Jalapeño is part of our long-term full-stack infrastructure strategy to make compute more abundant, helping deliver AI that is faster, more reliable, more affordable for people and businesses, and capable of addressing more important problems. By designing more of the stack ourselves, we can provide more intelligence with greater efficiency and continue advancing AI toward broader access.
Commenting on the development, Hock Tan, President and CEO of Broadcom, said:
Our collaboration with OpenAI reflects a long-term commitment to scaling the physical infrastructure needed for the next decade of AI. This marks the beginning of a multi-generation roadmap. By co-developing our industry-leading silicon with OpenAI, we are supporting the deployment of gigawatt-scale data centers with Microsoft and other partners starting in 2026.