Do the memory makers not have a contract in place for an order this large? I assume that they aren't going to take "trust us bro" as good enough for several million dollars in orders, and even if there is a way to cancel the order it won't be free. I would assume so at least, but i would like if anyone knew for certain.
I was interning at a company that made networking gear that was put out of business when their largest customer canceled an order within a week of the delivery date.
The customer ran out of money. In terms of where you are in line of debtors when you haven't even delivered the product to a customer, it's so far back as to be assured you won't get your money.
If the memory makers got a deposit from OpenAI as part of this deal, that is likely to be the only money they will get for any undelivered memory, particularly if OpenAI runs out of capital.
Instead of canceling the orders, OpenAI could take delivery and immediately flip the DRAM for a profit.
That would also be a pretty obvious admission of defeat for their original business model, though...
* several Billion dollars in orders.
You can’t squeeze blood from a stone as they say. If AI companies go bankrupt there’s no money to be had.