OpenAI says GPT-6 Astra can design a device's enclosure and circuit board, and seeks engineering partners

OpenAI describes how its models help with mechanical and electrical engineering: CAD models, manufacturing drawings, simulations and PCB design. These are OpenAI's own claims.

As a test, OpenAI says it had GPT-6 Astra define the requirements for and design a desk device for talking to Codex, covering the look, enclosure, circuit board, firmware and software, without direct human edits. Two team members worked on it in under a week as a side project, and a contract manufacturer built a small batch of prototypes in under a month. OpenAI says getting it ready for manufacturing still took several rounds of review, because Astra did not consistently account for the manufacturer's production limits, tolerances or assembly details.

OpenAI says model usage across its hardware teams, measured in tokens, has grown 23-fold since February. On BenchCAD 2.0, which tests rebuilding 3D parts and assemblies and identifying connections in circuit boards, OpenAI reports an average of 0.875 for a newer internal model against 0.594 for GPT-6 Astra at its highest reasoning setting.

OpenAI is expanding its work with Chip Ganassi Racing, turning 3D scans of parts into editable CAD models and 2D drawings, and announces a research collaboration with Mazda on aerodynamics and crash-safety simulation. It invites engineers, engineering firms and software vendors to apply to work with it.