OpenAI has closed one of the largest private funding rounds in tech history, raising a staggering $40 billion at a post-money valuation of $300 billion, the company announced on Monday.
According to a blog post published on OpenAI’s website, the round was led by SoftBank, with participation from major existing backers including Microsoft, Coatue, Altimeter, and Thrive Capital.
“This new capital enables us to push the frontiers of AI research even further, scale our compute infrastructure, and deliver increasingly powerful tools for the 500 million people who use ChatGPT every week,” OpenAI stated.
The company emphasized its enthusiasm for partnering with SoftBank, calling them one of the few firms that “understand how to scale transformative technology.”
A Large Chunk Goes to Stargate
According to CNBC, which cited a source familiar with the deal, $18 billion of the funding will be allocated to Stargate — OpenAI’s ambitious initiative to build a network of AI supercomputing data centers across the U.S. The Stargate project is seen as a cornerstone in OpenAI’s plan to scale both its AI capabilities and infrastructure.
The massive raise signals growing investor confidence in OpenAI’s trajectory as a global leader in artificial intelligence. With its growing suite of tools — including ChatGPT, API services, and enterprise solutions — OpenAI is rapidly cementing its position at the center of the AI revolution.
