OpenAI’s cozy partner Cerebras is on track for a blockbuster IPO
AI chip maker Cerebras is heading for a blockbuster IPO that could value it at $26.6 billion or more. Its relationship with OpenAI is deep and rich.
In the long-running saga that is Cerebras Systems’ IPO, the finish line is finally in sight. The AI chipmaker said on Monday that it is preparing to sell 28 million shares at $115 to $125 a share. This would raise $3.5 billion and give it a $26.6 billion market cap at the high end.
That would be a nice bump in just a couple of months for the late investors who piled into its $1 billion Series H at a $23 billion valuation in February. It would also be a boon to OpenAI and a few of its executives.
Should Cerebras pull off an initial public offering at or above the high end, this will be the largest tech IPO of 2026 so far. It could also prove the appetite for even bigger blockbuster offerings in the wings, like SpaceX and possibly OpenAI and Anthropic.
Cerebras offers an AI-specific chip called the Wafer-Scale Engine 3 that challenges GPU-based AI chips. Cerebras says its chip is faster for inference while using less power than such competitors. Inference is the compute needed to process user prompts.
A long list of top-name investors stands to gain from a healthy IPO. Rick Gerson’s Alpha Wave; Benchmark (via partner Eric Vishria); Lior Susan’s Eclipse; Fidelity; and Foundation Capital (via partner Steve Vassallo) are its largest shareholders with more than a 5% stake, according to the company’s SEC filing .
The company says its list of investors also includes 1789 Capital, Abu Dhabi Growth Fund, Abu Dhabi’s G42, Altimeter, AMD, Atreides Management, Coatue, Moore Strategic Ventures, Tiger Global, Valor Equity Partners, and VY Capital.
Plus, Cerebras names on its website a long list of angel investors, too. These include OpenAI founder and CEO Sam Altman, OpenAI founder and president Greg Brockman, former OpenAI chief scientist (now founder of his own AI startup) Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI board member and Quora CEO Adam D’Angelo, Sun Microsystems and Arista co-founder Andy Bechtolsheim, Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan, and several other tech luminaries.
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While Sam Altman’s stake wasn’t large enough to disclose in the SEC filings, he was quoted in its S-1. That’s because Cerebras’ relationship with OpenAI is even more noteworthy than its angel investors.
This relationship was even presented as evidence by Elon Musk in his lawsuit with OpenAI. OpenAI had at one point considered acquiring Cerebras, according to legal filings by Musk’s attorneys that claim he was unaware of all of the OpenAI execs’ personal investments in the company.
That deal never happened, but OpenAI did become one of Cerebras’ largest customers. In fact, in December, OpenAI loaned Cerebras $1 billion, secured by warrants that allow OpenAI to buy over 33 million shares, the S-1 discloses. So while OpenAI is not a large shareholder now, it could become one.
Cerebras had hoped to go public in 2024 but was delayed due to a federal review of an investment from Abu Dhabi-based cloud provider G42, which was (and still is, the chip company says) a major customer. That IPO attempt was ultimately shelved.
A year later, Cerebras sought to raise more cash. In September, it raised $1.1 billion at an $8.1 billion post-money valuation led by Fidelity and Atreides. A few months later, Cerebras signed its new multi-year agreement worth more than $10 billion with OpenAI that included the loan and warrants. In February, it raised the $1 billion Series H, its last mega round.
Should investors eat up the IPO, then OpenAI and its executives stand to gain in more ways than one.
That seems likely. Banks are already fielding $10 billion worth of orders for the $3.5 billion worth of shares on offer, Bloomberg reports. That kind of demand indicates that the company will likely price its shares even higher than this announced range, raising even more cash for itself and more value for its investors.
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Key takeaways
- Cerebras' IPO could catalyze the development of Brazilian startups in the AI sector.
- The relationship with OpenAI highlights the importance of strategic partnerships in technology.
- The success of the IPO may open doors for other tech companies to consider going public.
Editorial analysis
The impending IPO of Cerebras Systems represents a significant milestone not only for the company but also for the technology and artificial intelligence sector as a whole. The potential valuation of up to $26.6 billion highlights the growing demand for specialized AI hardware solutions, a segment that has seen exponential increases in investment and innovation. For Brazil, where the technology startup ecosystem is expanding, this movement could serve as a catalyst for the development of local companies looking to explore similar niches, especially in areas like cloud computing and machine learning.
Moreover, the close relationship between Cerebras and OpenAI indicates the importance of strategic partnerships in the sector. Collaboration between hardware and software companies is crucial for the advancement of AI technology, and Cerebras' success could inspire Brazilian startups to seek alliances with major market players. This could result in a more dynamic and innovative environment where new solutions and products can emerge, benefiting both the local and global markets.
It is important to observe how the realization of this IPO may influence market appetite for similar offerings. If Cerebras performs robustly, it could open doors for other tech companies, including those in early stages, to consider going public. Brazil, with its growing number of unicorns and startups, could benefit from this phenomenon, attracting more investment and international attention.
Finally, attention should be directed towards the impact that Cerebras' technology, particularly its Wafer-Scale Engine 3, may have on the competitiveness of the AI sector. If the company can demonstrate significant advantages over GPU-based chips, this could redefine performance and efficiency standards, influencing the development of new AI solutions both in Brazil and abroad.
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