Dell is supplying Imbue with servers to enable the startup to process the vast amount of data needed to develop its AI systems and build models with advanced reasoning capabilities. Imbue, which raised $200 million in a recent funding round from firms including Nvidia Corp., is one of a handful of artificial intelligence startups building their own AI foundation models from scratch — an ambitious effort that requires a large volume of computing power.

In the year since ChatGPT launched and kicked off a frenzy around all things AI, Microsoft Corp., Alphabet Inc's Google and Amazon.com Inc. have moved aggressively to partner with artificial intelligence startups through investments and cloud computing deals. Dell, by comparison, is a smaller provider in the field — but it's been telling investors its server business is poised to benefit from AI.