OpenAI Nears $100B Funding Round
OpenAI is close to finalizing the first phase of a funding round expected to exceed $100 billion, marking what could become the largest private financing deal in history, according to Bloomberg.
The company’s pre-money valuation is set to remain at $730 billion, while the post-money valuation could surpass $850 billion, exceeding the earlier $830 billion target discussed during negotiations.
Key Highlights:
- First tranche may reach nearly $100 billion
- Post-money valuation projected above $850 billion
- Strategic investors leading the round
- Capital to be deployed in installments throughout 2026
The first phase will rely primarily on strategic investors, including:
- Amazon (up to $50B)
- SoftBank (up to $30B)
- Nvidia (around $20B)
- Microsoft
If commitments close at the upper end of discussions, total capital in the first phase alone would approach $100 billion. Funds will be wired in multiple installments across 2026.
A second close is expected to include venture capital firms, sovereign wealth funds, and other financial investors, potentially pushing the total raise well beyond the initial target.
Investment Meets Procurement
Each of the major investors also serves as a key supplier. Amazon provides cloud services and proprietary chips, Nvidia supplies GPUs, Microsoft delivers cloud infrastructure, and SoftBank finances data center expansion via Stargate. The round effectively blends equity with commercial partnerships.
OpenAI is expected to expand its use of Amazon’s Trainium and Inferentia chips alongside AWS services as part of the deepening partnership.
Strong Growth, Long-Term Profit Horizon
CEO Sam Altman stated internally that ChatGPT was “back to exceeding 10% monthly growth.” More than 800 million users engage with the chatbot weekly as of early February. The company recently launched GPT-5.3-Codex and a standalone Mac desktop application.
Despite rapid growth, OpenAI is not expected to reach profitability before 2029. The company is also reportedly moving toward a potential IPO later this year. Final terms and timing remain under negotiation and may change.
