OpenAI has reportedly acquired Glass Imaging, a startup developing AI-powered smartphone camera technology, in a deal worth more than $300 million.
The Wall Street Journal reported the acquisition. Glass Imaging was founded in 2019 and had previously raised around $30 million from investors.
Founded by Former Apple Camera Engineers
Glass Imaging was founded by Ziv Attar and Tom Bishop, two former Apple engineers who previously led work on the team behind Portrait Mode.
The company focuses on improving smartphone image quality using neural networks rather than relying only on larger sensors or lenses.
Its technology learns the characteristics of individual camera systems and processes images at the moment they are captured, instead of simply applying AI edits afterward.
This approach is designed to help overcome the physical limitations of small smartphone camera hardware.
Another Piece of OpenAI’s Hardware Strategy
The acquisition could give OpenAI more expertise in computational photography as the company expands beyond software.
OpenAI has been linked to several possible hardware projects, including smartphones, earbuds and AI companion devices.
The company has not publicly confirmed how Glass Imaging’s technology or team will be used.
OpenAI Has Already Invested Heavily in Hardware
OpenAI’s hardware ambitions became clearer in 2025 when CEO Sam Altman and former Apple design chief Jony Ive revealed that they had been developing new AI devices together.
OpenAI later acquired Ive’s hardware startup io for $6.5 billion, bringing its design work directly into the company.
The Glass Imaging deal could now add advanced camera technology to that effort, although OpenAI has not yet announced any specific product involving the startup.
OpenAI did not immediately comment on the reported acquisition.
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