TMTPOST -- Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI and a key figure backed by Microsoft, is reportedly raising $150 million for Rain AI, a semiconductor startup vying to rival Nvidia, according to a source cited by the *New York Post*. This new funding round values Rain AI at $600 million, following its $25 million seed round in 2022, where Altman was a primary investor. The upcoming investment round, expected next month, highlights Rain AI's focus on energy-efficient, high-performance semiconductors. Sources indicate Altman has pitched the startup’s potential to OpenAI’s investors, emphasizing its innovations in the artificial intelligence hardware sector. Rain AI, positioning itself as a competitor to Nvidia, recently recruited former Apple executive Jean-Didier Allegrucci to lead its hardware engineering efforts. The company claims its chips are up to 85% more energy-efficient than Nvidia’s, which currently dominates the AI chip market with an estimated 85% market share. Altman’s push for Rain AI comes as Nvidia deepens ties with Elon Musk, who plans to purchase 100,000 Nvidia processors for xAI and other AI initiatives. Despite these developments, Nvidia remains a key supplier of processors to OpenAI, even as Altman champions a challenger in the competitive AI hardware landscape.