OpenAI has acquired Glass Imaging, a smartphone camera technology company, for over $300 million, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. Founded in 2019 and based in Los Altos, California, Glass Imaging had previously raised around $30 million from investors. The startup was established by Ziv Attar and Tom Bishop, former Apple engineers who led the development of Apple’s Portrait Mode feature.

Glass Imaging specializes in improving smartphone photography by using AI to enhance images at the moment they are captured, rather than through post-processing. Their approach involves neural networks that adapt to different camera systems on smartphones, allowing them to bypass the physical limitations of small camera lenses. This innovation aligns well with OpenAI's interests in AI-driven hardware advancements.

OpenAI’s purchase of Glass Imaging fits into a larger pattern of the company’s moves into physical devices. The AI firm is reportedly developing various hardware products, including smartphones, earbuds, and AI companion devices. This acquisition could play a significant role in the imaging technology of OpenAI’s future devices, enhancing the integration of AI capabilities with mobile hardware.

This deal also follows OpenAI’s earlier $6.5 billion acquisition of Jony Ive’s design company io in 2025, signaling ongoing efforts to expand beyond software AI into sophisticated hardware. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s collaboration with Ive underlines the company’s ambition to create cutting-edge consumer devices that leverage advanced AI technologies.