OpenAI closes $40 billion funding round

OpenAI is close to closing a $40 billion (6 trillion yen) funding round led by SoftBank Group, with investors including Magnetar Capital, Coatue Management, Founders Fund and Altimeter Capital Management in talks to participate, according to people familiar with the matter.

OpenAI logo. Photo: REUTERS/TTXVN

Magnetar Capital, a hedge fund based in Evanston, Illinois, could contribute as much as $1 billion, according to multiple sources, all of whom asked not to be identified because the information is private.

The AI ​​developer’s funding round would be the largest ever, according to data compiled by research firm PitchBook. The deal is expected to value the company at $300 billion (including the amount raised), nearly double the ChatGPT maker’s previous valuation of $157 billion from a fundraising in October 2024.

As part of the deal, SoftBank will invest an initial $7.5 billion in the company, along with $2.5 billion from a consortium of investors. A second $30 billion investment will be made by the end of 2025, with $22.5 billion from SoftBank and $7.5 billion from the consortium.

SoftBank shares fell as much as 4.7% in Tokyo trading. Credit default swaps (CDS) for the company also rose, partly due to concerns about the impact of the huge investment on the group's finances.

SoftBank declined to comment. The Japanese conglomerate has also separately committed billions of dollars to Project Stargate, a joint venture based in Abilene, Texas, with partners including OpenAI, Oracle and MGX.

Representatives from OpenAI, Magnetar, and Founders Fund declined to comment on the funding round. Coatue and Altimeter did not respond to requests for comment.

This funding round shows investors' enthusiasm for a company that is growing at an extraordinary pace, in tandem with the spread of AI around the world .

OpenAI expects revenue to more than triple to $12.7 billion by 2025, thanks to the power of its paid artificial intelligence software.

The San Francisco-based company generated $3.7 billion in revenue in 2024. OpenAI expects sales to continue growing rapidly, more than doubling next year to $29.4 billion.

But OpenAI also faces significant costs for the processing chips, data centers, and talent needed to develop advanced AI. The company doesn’t expect to be cash-flow positive until 2029, which is also the year it expects revenue to surpass $125 billion.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/the-gioi/openai-sap-hoan-tat-vong-huy-dong-von-40-ty-usd-20250328112339171.htm