AXIOS (Madison Mills) - Startup bets that investors want to trade compute like a commodity
Ornn, an Andreessen Horowitz-backed startup, raised a $33 million seed round to build a marketplace for trading the computing power that underpins today's AI boom, similar to what exists for oil traders. Why it matters: Investors increasingly want to trade compute like a commodity, betting it could make the historically expensive AI buildout more sustainable and efficient. Catch up quick: Commodity markets let companies use futures contracts to lock in prices for volatile raw materials. - Think airlines locking in jet fuel prices or manufacturers hedging metals prices, which helps them reduce the risk of price fluctuations. - But AI companies don't have an equivalent market for compute, a problem the 20-something founders of Ornn and a…
Ornn, an Andreessen Horowitz-backed startup, raised a $33 million seed round to build a marketplace for trading the computing power that underpins today's AI boom, similar to what exists for oil traders. Why it matters: Investors increasingly want to trade compute like a commodity, betting it could make the historically expensive AI buildout more sustainable and efficient. Catch up quick: Commodity markets let companies use futures contracts to lock in prices for volatile raw materials. - Think airlines locking in jet fuel prices or manufacturers hedging metals prices, which helps them reduce the risk of price fluctuations. - But AI companies don't have an equivalent market for compute, a problem the 20-something founders of Ornn and a…Open