[DigitalToday reporter Chi-gyu Hwang (황치규)] OpenAI is developing an alternative to GitHub, the well-known code repository platform owned by Microsoft, according to a report.

The Information reported this on March 3, local time, citing a person familiar with the project.

The Information said OpenAI began developing its own product after OpenAI engineers using GitHub experienced increasing outages in recent months.

The outages prevented engineers from changing code for minutes, and even hours, and collaborating remotely on code, the report said.

The report said OpenAI's project is still at an early stage and is unlikely to be completed within months.

But depending on OpenAI's choice, the impact on Microsoft could be significant.

People in charge of the GitHub alternative project at OpenAI are said to be discussing the possibility of selling repository access to OpenAI customers.

If OpenAI does so, it would be another example of OpenAI competing head-to-head with Microsoft, a strategic ally whose relationship has recently not been what it used to be, The Information reported.

The Information said that if OpenAI sells its Codex coding agent and its own code repository product beyond internal use, it could be an attractive option for developer customers.

Microsoft has maintained a relationship close to a blood alliance by investing nearly $13 billion in OpenAI, but recently the relationship between the two companies has increasingly taken on the nature of competition. OpenAI received investment worth up to $50 billion from Microsoft rival Amazon, and Microsoft is strengthening cooperation with OpenAI rival Anthropic.