OpenAI’s new fundraising round could value startup at as much as $830 billion
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. OpenAI is aiming to raise as much as $100 billion as it seeks to pay for ambitious growth plans in a market that has cooled recently on the artificial-intelligence boom. The fundraising round, which is in the early stages, could value the company at as much as $830 billion, if it raises the full amount it is targeting, people familiar with the matter said.
The startup aims to complete the round by the end of the first quarter at the earliest. Terms of the deal could still change, and it is unclear whether there will be sufficient investor demand to reach the goal. The round will present one of the biggest tests the company has faced since the public market’s exuberance for AI spending waned.
Chief Executive Sam Altman has already scoured the world to build the pool of OpenAI’s investors and the company is now weighing a potential initial public offering, The Wall Street Journal previously reported. OpenAI needs an abundance of capital to build its AI models and stay competitive in a rapidly changing market. SoftBank agreed to invest $30 billion in OpenAI earlier this year and last month, sold its Nvidia stake for $5.8 billion to fund the OpenAI bet.
OpenAI is expected to secure the remaining $22.5 billion in planned financing from SoftBank by the end of the year. OpenAI has engaged in a year-end dealmaking spree that includes a content-licensing agreement and a $1 billion investment from Disney. The deals show that OpenAI’s fundraising machine remains formidable even as questions about how it will pay for expansion plans remain largely unanswered.
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