OpenAI raises $40 billion to boost AI development

OpenAI said it will raise $40 billion in a new funding round led by SoftBank Group, aimed at advancing AI research, expanding computing infrastructure and improving AI tools.

OpenAI, a company backed by technology giant Microsoft, said it aims to provide increasingly powerful tools for the 500 million people who use ChatGPT every week. (Photo: Reuters/TTXVN)

OpenAI said on March 31 that it will raise $40 billion in a new funding round led by SoftBank Group, reaching a valuation of $300 billion.

The investment is aimed at boosting artificial intelligence (AI) research, expanding computing infrastructure and enhancing AI tools.

OpenAI, a company backed by tech giant Microsoft, said it aims to provide increasingly powerful tools for the 500 million people who use ChatGPT every week.

Investor enthusiasm for the AI ​​sector has increased in recent years, fueled by the widespread popularity of chatbots and the rise of sophisticated AI agents.

Businesses have integrated AI solutions to optimize operations and enhance customer experience, while venture capital firms compete to invest in promising AI startups.

The market has accelerated particularly since late 2022 with the launch of AI tools like ChatGPT.

The San Francisco-based company previously completed a $6.6 billion funding round in October 2024, valuing the company at $157 billion.

OpenAI has ambitious plans on multiple fronts and will need a lot of capital to achieve those goals, but the list of investors willing to support that scale has narrowed and may be largely limited to SoftBank, which itself may not have the necessary capital, said Gil Luria, an analyst at investment firm DA Davidson & Co.

OpenAI is partnering with SoftBank and Oracle to create a network of data centers as part of the $500 billion Stargate project, which will provide processing power for AI tasks in the US.

The company also plans to overhaul its structure, saying it will set up a "public interest company" to attract more investment and resources and balance shareholder interests with the public interest.

With this latest funding, OpenAI will join the ranks of the world's most valuable private companies such as SpaceX, ByteDance (China) and Stripe./.

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/openai-huy-dong-40-ty-usd-de-day-manh-phat-trien-ai-post1024034.vnp