United Kingdom, Jan. 20 -- OpenAI is reportedly on track to unveil its first-ever physical device in the second half of 2026. According to Axios, the ChatGPT company has internally identified hardware as one of its major focus areas for next year, marking a significant step beyond its software-first AI strategy.

Chris Lehane, chief global affairs officer at OpenAI, reportedly said the organisation is "looking at something in the latter part of 2026," while cautioning that the timeline is not yet locked in.

He declined to share details about the form factor or functionality, but said updates would come "much later in the year".

The device has been the subject of intense speculation since OpenAI acquired the hardware startup founded by f...