OpenAI set to splurge $3 billion on AI coding tool Windsurf as ChatGPT inventor looks to make programmers a bit more nervous

• OpenAI’s Windsurf move puts its rivals under pressure
• OpenAI targets automating programming beyond the junior developer level
• Developers may soon pick AI over IDEs if Windsurf integration hits full speed

OpenAI is set to acquire Windsurf, a top artificial intelligence-powered coding assistant, in a deal reportedly worth $3 billion.

At the time of writing, the deal has not yet been finalized, however, if it goes through, it would mark OpenAI’s largest acquisition to date and signal an aggressive push to dominate the rapidly evolving field of AI-assisted software development.

Windsurf, previously known as Codeium, is a product of Exafunction Inc., a startup that has attracted significant investor attention over the past year, as one of several emerging tools that translate plain language prompts into working code, reducing the need for manual development and, in some cases, automating tasks typically handled by ...