OpenAI plans to raise up to $6,5 billion in a new round of funding, which could bring its valued at around $150 billion. This capital is intended to support growing computing power needs and cover increased operating expenses. At the end of 2023, OpenAI was valued at $86 billion, and initially thethe goal of the new round was to exceed 100 billion. If the financing is successful, OpenAI Will Become One of the World's Most Valuable Startups, approaching the levels of Elon Musk's SpaceX and challenging the first position occupied by the Chinese ByteDance, parent company of the social network TikTok, valued at $225 billion and
The companies that will participate in the round are Apple and Nvidia
The funding round will be led by Thrive Capital, a venture capital firm founded by Josh Kushner, which is expected to invest approximately 1 billion dollars. Microsoft, a longtime investor in OpenAI with a $13 billion commitment, will again participate in the financing. Apple and Nvidia could also be in the mix, with negotiations still ongoing to define their level of participation.
Apple, after integrating ChatGPT in its newly launched iPhones, could invest in OpenAI to strengthen its position in the AI industry. Nvidia, on the other hand, provides the critical AI infrastructure for OpenAI.
OpenAi: Talks for a Credit Line
In addition to the funding round, OpenAI is in talks to raise a lrevolving credit line of $5 billion from several banks. The credit line will serve to secure additional financial resources to support the startup's growth ambitions. threads on this financing I am still in progress and final details may vary.
The Expansion and Competition in the AI Industry
From launch of ChatGPT In 2022, OpenAI experienced rapid growth, with Annual revenues reached $2 billion at the beginning of the year. The startup, however, continues to record losses due to the high costs for developing artificial intelligence models cutting edge and growing competition from rivals like Anthropic, Google and Meta.
The participation of Apple, Nvidia and Microsoft could represent a decisive turning point, allowing OpenAI to accelerate the development of its technologies and maintain its competitive advantage.
Among the ongoing projects, OpenAI is working on SearchGPT, an innovative search engine that combines ChatGPT’s capabilities with real-time web data to provide fast, well-researched answers. Currently in testing with a limited number of users, SearchGPT directly challenges Google and promises to revolutionize online search.
In parallel, OpenAI is developing Strawberry, a secret project inspired by the Q* project, which aims to create an AI model with advanced reasoning and self-learning capabilities, approaching artificial general intelligence (AGI).
THEAI industry is under scrutiny for possible speculative bubbles, with concerns among investors about the exorbitant costs of building and training models, and acquisitions of smaller startups by large technology companies.
