OpenAI, an American artificial intelligence company, has announced a successful fundraising round of $6.6 billion, placing its valuation at $157 billion. The investment round was led by Thrive Capital with contributions from Microsoft, NVIDIA, SoftBank, Tiger Global, and Altimeter Capital. Despite Apple's decision to not participate, the round was oversubscribed, making it one of the largest in the AI sector.
OpenAI's newly raised funds aim to enhance its AI research capabilities, expand computational power, and develop tools to address complex problems. The company reported that over 250 million people worldwide use its ChatGPT platform weekly for productivity and creativity enhancements.
If OpenAI were to go public at its current valuation, it would surpass financial giants like Goldman Sachs and Uber, both valued slightly below $157 billion. OpenAI aims to leverage this funding to solidify its position as a leader in advanced AI research, aspiring to make intelligent technology widely accessible.
Financial documents reveal OpenAI's remarkable growth, with monthly revenue in August reaching $300 million, marking a 1700% increase since early 2023. The company is projected to reach an annual sales figure of $37 billion this year, with expectations to triple next year.
Despite its high valuation, OpenAI faces substantial operational costs, with potential losses reaching $5 billion by the end of 2024. The company has invested heavily in product development and large-scale AI model training, which includes significant expenses like employee salaries and daily operational costs for ChatGPT.
OpenAI has reportedly requested investors not to support competing entities such as Anthropic and xAI, seeking exclusive deals to maintain its leading position in generative AI. While facing financial challenges, these investments are crucial for innovation and have a positive impact on the stock prices of major tech collaborators like Microsoft and NVIDIA.
