WSJ: OpenAI Discusses Record Funding Round Valuing Up to $830 Billion
Date: 2025-12-22 Author: Gabriel Deangelo Categories: BUSINESS
OpenAI is in advanced negotiations for one of the largest private investment rounds in the history of the tech sector. According to the WSJ, the potential funding could reach $100 billion, valuing the company at approximately $830 billion. Sources claim that discussions are underway with sovereign wealth funds and other large institutional investors.
The deal is expected to close by the end of the first quarter of 2026. If negotiations are successful, OpenAI will not only raise a significant amount of capital but also cement its status as the most valuable private company in the world, surpassing other tech giants not listed on the public markets.
The Information previously reported a more conservative valuation of approximately $750 billion. However, WSJ sources indicate that the target has been revised upward during ongoing discussions. This reflects continued investor interest in the artificial intelligence sector, despite growing risks and rising costs.
The key objective of the new financing is scaling computing power. OpenAI is actively expanding its infrastructure for training and inference models, and, according to media reports, is increasingly paying for these processes directly rather than through cloud loans. This approach indicates a sharp increase in computing-related operating expenses and the need for a sustainable source of capital.
The backdrop to the deal remains ambiguous. On the one hand, competition in the AI segment is intensifying: Google and Anthropic are accelerating the release of their own models and expanding their enterprise solution lines. This is pushing OpenAI toward a more aggressive development strategy and expanding its presence in the developer ecosystem. On the other hand, investors are becoming more cautious in assessing the long-term profitability of the industry.
Analysts surveyed by the WSJ note that the market is increasingly questioning whether corporations like Amazon and Microsoft can continue to make large-scale capital investments in AI at the same level, especially if a significant portion of these investments are financed with debt. An additional pressure is the memory chip shortage, which is affecting the entire tech sector and could slow the deployment of new capacity.
Meanwhile, the media is speculating about the possibility of OpenAI preparing for an IPO. According to unofficial estimates, the company could theoretically raise up to $1 trillion if it goes public. For comparison, OpenAI was valued at approximately $500 billion in its previous investment round, and its total capital raised exceeds $64 billion.
At the time of publication, OpenAI representatives declined to comment on a possible new round. However, HSBC analysts previously estimated that the company would need at least $207 billion to maintain operations until 2030, underscoring the scale of the financial needs of AI industry leaders.
