OpenAI acquires smartphone camera maker Glass Imaging for over $300 million

Glass Imaging was founded in 2019 by Ziv Attar and Tom Bishop, two former Apple engineers who worked on the technology behind Apple's Portrait Mode

OpenAI has acquired smartphone camera technology company Glass Imaging in a deal valued at more than $300 million, The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.

 

Founded in 2019 and based in Los Altos, California, Glass Imaging had previously raised about $30 million from investors. The company was founded by Ziv Attar and Tom Bishop, two former Apple engineers who worked on the technology behind Apple’s Portrait Mode.

 

Glass Imaging uses artificial intelligence (AI) and neural networks to improve smartphone photography by learning the characteristics of individual camera systems. Unlike conventional AI photo editing, which processes an image after it is captured, the company’s technology is designed to improve image quality as the picture is taken.

 

 

Glass Imaging’s camera technology has also been used by Chinese smartphone maker Honor.

 

OpenAI has not officially detailed what it plans to do with Glass Imaging’s software.

 

What does Glass Imaging’s acquisition mean for OpenAI?

 

The acquisition could give OpenAI access to expertise in computational photography and smartphone camera systems as the ChatGPT maker expands its ambitions in consumer hardware.

 

OpenAI has been linked to plans for a range of hardware products, including smartphones, earbuds and AI companion devices. OpenAI also acquired hardware startup io, founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive, for $6.5 billion in 2025.

 

Glass Imaging’s technology could therefore be relevant to any future OpenAI device that relies on cameras.

 

The acquisition also adds to OpenAI’s broader push beyond software and AI models, as the company explores consumer products and hardware.