▲ OpenAI
OpenAI is reportedly seeking to raise at least $30 billion (approx. 40.7 trillion won) in new funding at a pre-money valuation of $1.4 trillion (approx. 1,900 trillion won), Bloomberg News reported on the 29th (local time), citing sources.
This comes just half a month after reports on the 15th that OpenAI was considering fundraising at a $1.2 trillion valuation, marking an increase in its target within a fortnight.
If it hits this target, OpenAI's valuation would once again surpass that of its rival Anthropic.
Anthropic raised $65 billion last May at a post-money valuation of $965 billion.
Back in March, OpenAI secured $122 billion (approx. 166 trillion won) and achieved a post-money valuation of $852 billion.
This means its valuation has surged by nearly 70% in just six months.
Sources said the new funding round serves as a bridge round to provide additional capital for OpenAI, which has delayed its initial public offering (IPO), adding that discussions are in the early stages and subject to change.
Instead of holding an IPO amid AI safety concerns, the company aims to amass massive amounts of capital while remaining private.
One source noted that strong investor demand, driven by rapidly growing revenue, is fueling this round.
According to the source, OpenAI's annualized revenue has grown by 70% since July.
In fact, US online media outlet Axios reported, citing sources, that OpenAI's annualized revenue is nearing $70 billion (approx. 95 trillion won) based on current trends.
As recently as August, its annualized revenue was estimated at $40 billion.
According to Axios, OpenAI's enterprise revenue has more than doubled since July, and its consumer revenue for the third quarter has already surpassed its total consumer revenue for the entire previous year.
The company appears to be rapidly closing the gap with Anthropic, which has led the enterprise AI market.
Like Anthropic, OpenAI has also submitted confidential documents for a public listing.
Anthropic is expected to go public in November.
On the other hand, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has delayed the IPO to at least next year, stating that he wants to focus on addressing AI safety concerns.
In an interview with Bloomberg TV on this day, Altman said, "We want to be able to make decisions right in front of us without the pressure of being a newly public company," adding that investors will be "patient" with the IPO plans.
"We will go public at some point," he added.
Regarding AI safety, he stated, "We need a common way to ensure that everyone is doing this right," suggesting measures such as independent evaluation bodies, government reviews, and peer checks among companies.
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