Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn) and OpenAI have entered into a collaboration aimed at advancing the design and manufacturing of AI infrastructure hardware in the US.

Under the agreement, OpenAI will provide Foxconn with information on emerging hardware requirements within the AI sector.

This input is intended to guide Foxconn’s development of hardware systems, which will be produced at its US manufacturing sites.

The arrangement does not involve any purchase commitments or financial obligations at this stage, though OpenAI will have early access to assess the new systems and retains an option to acquire them.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said: “The infrastructure behind advanced AI is a generational opportunity to reindustrialise America.

“This partnership is a step toward ensuring the core technologies of the AI era are built here. We believe this work will strengthen US leadership and help ensure the benefits of AI are widely shared.”

The partnership seeks to address the increasing demand for specialised physical infrastructure needed to support advanced AI models.

By combining OpenAI’s knowledge of model requirements with Foxconn’s manufacturing capabilities, both companies aim to reinforce domestic supply chains and accelerate the rollout of advanced AI systems in the US.

The initiative is expected to contribute to the resilience and scalability of American supply chains for AI technology.

Key areas of focus include co-designing and developing multiple generations of AI data centre racks, improving rack architecture for broader US manufacturing, expanding sourcing from domestic suppliers, and increasing localised testing and assembly.

Foxconn will also manufacture essential components for AI data centres such as cabling, networking, cooling, and power systems at its US facilities.

Foxconn chairman Young Liu said: “As the world’s largest manufacturer of AI data servers, Foxconn is uniquely positioned to support OpenAI’s mission with trusted, scalable infrastructure that accelerates innovation and broadens access to transformative AI capabilities for businesses and users worldwide.”

In a separate development, Foxconn has announced a joint venture with Intrinsic to advance intelligent factory solutions in manufacturing.

The collaboration targets improvements in electronics assembly, an area experiencing significant growth due to increased demand for server trays, graphics processing units (GPUs), and data centre equipment driven by the expansion of AI applications.

The joint venture aims to move from product-specific automation towards more general-purpose robotics and greater automation of manual processes.

The initial phase of this partnership will address use cases in assembly, inspection, machine tending, and logistics.

In October 2025, Foxconn announced that its board approved an investment of up to T$42bn ($1.37bn) to purchase equipment for an AI compute cluster and a supercomputing centre.