(Reuters) - Microsoft ( MSFT )-backed OpenAI has acquired search and database analytics firm Rockset for an undisclosed sum, the ChatGPT maker said on Friday.

A technology Rockset offers called vector search has benefited from increased adoption as more applications use artificial intelligence to power recommendation engines, voice assistants, chatbots and detect anomalies.

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

Rockset said it will become a part of OpenAI and power the retrieval infrastructure of the ChatGPT maker's products.

This means Rockset's expertise in real-time data processing and vector search will enhance OpenAI's ability to quickly access and analyze vast amounts of information, likely leading to faster and more accurate responses from AI models.

CONTEXT

OpenAI is looking stay ahead of the curve by integrating new functionalities in ChatGPT and develop new AI models to fend off competition from the likes of Alphabet's Google and Anthropic, among others.

Reuters reported last month OpenAI has been developing a search engine product to potentially compete with Google and AI search startup Perplexity.

Rockset, which counts Greylock, Sequoia and Hewlett Packard Enterprise's ( HPE ) venture capital arm among its investors, said in August last year it had raised $105 million in total capital.

(Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath)