March 3 (Reuters) - OpenAI is developing a new code-hosting platform to rival ​Microsoft's GitHub, The Information reported on ‌Tuesday, citing a person with knowledge of the project.

Engineers from OpenAI encountered a rise in service disruptions ​that rendered GitHub unavailable in recent months, ​which ultimately prompted the decision to develop ⁠the new product, the report said.

The OpenAI ​project is in its early stages and likely ​will not be completed for months, according to The Information. Employees working on it have considered making the ​code repository available for purchase to OpenAI's ​customer base.

Reuters could not independently verify the report. OpenAI, ‌GitHub ⁠and Microsoft did not immediately respond to our requests for comment.

If OpenAI does sell the product, it would mark a bold move by ​the creator ​of ChatGPT ⁠to compete directly against Microsoft, which holds a significant stake in ​the firm.

Its latest funding round valued OpenAI at $840 ​billion ⁠as Big Tech and Masayoshi Son's SoftBank piled into the $110 billion blockbuster raise, signaling the ⁠AI ​investment race is alive and ​well despite recent fears of a valuation bubble.