OpenAI’s Jalapeño chip is Big Tech’s spiciest move away from Nvidia

OpenAI unveiled its custom inference chip Jalapeño, built with Broadcom, to reduce reliance on Nvidia's dominant AI chips. The move follows similar strategies by Google, Apple, and SpaceX to gain more control and performance through custom silicon. The chip was discussed on TechCrunch's Equity podcast alongside other AI and robotics deals.

Nvidia has dominated the AI chip market for years, but the era of total dependence might be ending. OpenAI just shared its plans to spice things up with Jalapeño, its custom inference chip built with Broadcom https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/24/openai-unveils-its-first-custom-chip-built-by-broadcom/ , joining Google, Apple, and SpaceX in a growing list of companies building their way out of single-supplier risk. The goal is less of a clean break and more of a hedge. Custom silicon means more control, hardware tuned to specific needs, and the kind of performance gains Apple unlocked when it ditched Intel. On this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity https://techcrunch.com/podcasts/equity/ podcast, hosts Kirsten Korosec, Anthony Ha, and Sean O’Kane dig into what the custom chip trend means for the industry and a few deals of the week worth watching. Listen to the full episode to hear more about: - How Groq’s $650M raise https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/22/ai-chipmaker-groq-confirms-650m-raise-re-staffs-after-nvidias-20b-not-acqui-hire-deal/ after Nvidia swept away its top talent might be the comeback story of the year - AI agents getting loopy and why Claude Code creator Boris Cherny thinks these loops are “just as important and as big a step” https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/22/the-ai-world-is-getting-loopy/ as the leap from source code to agents - Whether the public markets are warming up to humanoid robots as Agility Robotics plans to go public via SPAC https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/24/agility-robotics-plans-to-go-public-via-spac-in-a-2-5b-deal/ A24 taking investment from Google DeepMind https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/22/google-deepmind-bets-75m-on-ais-future-in-hollywood-with-a24-deal/ to develop a new AI toolkit for filmmakers Subscribe to Equity on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@TechCrunch , Apple Podcasts https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1215439780 , Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1215439780/equity , Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5IEYLip3eDppcOmy5DmphC?si=rZDFHv2sQUul g94iCRgpQ and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X https://twitter.com/EquityPod and Threads https://www.threads.net/@equitypod , at @EquityPod.