OpenAI acquires search and analytics startup Rockset. What does that mean?

Well, we know it’s related to data retrieval.

What the acquisition could mean for ChatGPT.
Credit: Photo by Joan Cros / NurPhoto via Getty Images

OpenAI has made its first acquisition and it’s an analytics startup called Rockset.

The ChatGPT maker announced the deal on Friday, saying “we will integrate Rockset’s technology to power our retrieval infrastructure across products.” The company also said members of Rockset’s team will join OpenAI.

As the ongoing battle to build the most capable AI models rages on, OpenAI seeks to gain a competitive edge against rivals like Google and Anthropic.

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Details of how Rockset’s real-time search and analytics database will integrate with OpenAI’s products are unclear (as is the sum OpenAI is paying to acquire Rockset). But OpenAI has an Enterprise model for businesses, which could benefit from data querying and analysis in chatbot form. OpenAI is also rumored to be working on a search engine, so the acquisition of a company that enables real-time data retrieval could point to ChatGPT becoming a formidable competitor to Google Search. Then there’s the OpenAI API, which could be improved through more or better data analysis tools.

“We’re excited to be joining OpenAI to empower users, enterprises and developers to fully leverage their data by bringing powerful retrieval to AI, said Venkat Venkataramani, CEO of Rockset. So it could mean bringing Rockset’s tech into all of the above.

In the Rockset announcement, Venkataramani also mentioned that Rockset will be “helping OpenAI solve the hard database problems that AI apps face at massive scale.” This points to the increasingly evident problem of supplying AI models with high quality data and ensuring proper alignment.

Stay tuned as there’s sure to be more details emerging soon.

Cecily is a tech reporter at Mashable who covers AI, Apple, and emerging tech trends. Before getting her master’s degree at Columbia Journalism School, she spent several years working with startups and social impact businesses for Unreasonable Group and B Lab. Before that, she co-founded a startup consulting business for emerging entrepreneurial hubs in South America, Europe, and Asia. You can find her on Twitter at @cecily_mauran.

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