OpenAI seeks $30B raise at $1.25T valuation

OpenAI is close to securing a private raise of up to $30 billion at a pre‑money valuation of $1.25 trillion, according to sources. The round would be led by Coatue and investors from the United Arab Emirates, and if it closes it could become the most valued private company ever. Terms are still being negotiated, so the final amount and valuation could shift.

The new round would follow the March $122 billion financing that valued the ChatGPT maker at $852 billion, and it would give the company additional capital to develop AI models and expand its computing infrastructure. OpenAI has also filed confidential paperwork for an initial public offering in June.

Computing capacity deal

In addition, OpenAI is negotiating a separate commercial agreement that could provide it with extra computing capacity in the UAE, a move that would help train large models more efficiently.

Earlier this month, Bloomberg reported that UAE investment funds, including Abu Dhabi‑based MGX, were discussing commitments of up to $10 billion toward a proposed OpenAI financing, a step that could help meet the growing demand for chips, cooling and electricity.

Anthropic, a rival AI company, raised $65 billion at a $965 billion valuation in May and has filed confidential paperwork for an IPO, a development that could test investor appetite for trillion‑level valuations in the sector.

OpenAI aims to secure commitments by the end of next week, according to reports, and the upcoming IPO could set a benchmark for how public‑market investors respond to the high valuations of AI firms.