OpenAI is about to finalize a new funding round of 40 billion dollars, led by SoftBank. According to a report by Bloomberg, this would value the company at 300 billion dollars.
Other investment funds such as Magnetar Capital, Coatue Management, Founders Fund and Altimeter Capital Management are also considering participating. Magnetar may invest 1 billion dollars.
SoftBank will probably initially invest 7.5 billion dollars, followed by 2.5 billion dollars from an investor syndicate. A second phase is expected later this year. SoftBank would then invest another 22.5 billion dollars, with another 7.5 billion through a syndicate.
At the end of January, Techzine reported that SoftBank was in talks to invest up to $25 billion in ChatGPT owner OpenAI.
The investment fits within OpenAI’s broader strategy to further strengthen its position in the AI sector. Previously, in October 2024, the company raised $6.6 billion at a valuation of $157 billion in a round led by Thrive Capital. At the time, SoftBank had already invested at a post-money valuation of $260 billion.
OpenAI triples its revenue
OpenAI expects its revenue to almost triple to 12.7 billion dollars in 2025. This growth is possible due to the continuous technological developments within the company. For example, the company recently expanded ChatGPT with native image generation. The feature is available to Plus, Pro and Team subscribers. Soon, all other users will also have access to this feature.
In addition, OpenAI is undergoing changes in leadership. According to Bloomberg, Sam Altman will focus more on research and product development, while Brad Lightcap will take on the role of chief operating officer. These changes are being made to better compete with companies such as Anthropic, Perplexity, Google and Microsoft.
Part of the new financing will also be used for Stargate, a company that was founded in collaboration with Oracle and is supported by President Donald Trump.