OpenAI pursues $50 billion funding round from Middle East investors at $830 billion valuation

OpenAI's Altman Meets Mideast Investors for $50 Billion Round

OpenAI has raised billions of dollars in recent years to help finance the immense cost of chips, data centers and talent to build new artificial intelligence systems and support wider adoption of the technology. OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman has been meeting with top investors in the Middle East to line up funding for a new investment round that could total at least $50 billion, according to people familiar with the matter. Altman recently visited the region, where he spoke with investors, including some of the leading state-backed funds in Abu Dhabi, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity as the information is not public. The ChatGPT maker is looking to raise $50 billion or more in the round at a valuation of about $750 billion to $830 billion, the people said. The talks are early, and the amount could change. OpenAI has also recently held talks with Amazon.com Inc. to raise at least $10 billion, Bloomberg News has reported. OpenAI declined to comment. The Information previously reported the company had discussed raising tens of billions of dollars at a $750 billion valuation. OpenAI has raised billions of dollars in recent years to help finance the immense cost of chips, data centers and talent to build new artificial intelligence systems and support wider adoption of the technology. The startup, which is not yet profitable, has committed to spend more than $1.4 trillion on AI infrastructure in the coming years. Several top AI developers, including Anthropic PBC and Elon Musk's xAI, have turned to deep-pocketed investors in the Middle East to meet their growing capital needs. OpenAI has previously raised funding from MGX, an Abu Dhabi-based tech investment firm. It has also partnered with G42 to develop a massive data center in the United Arab Emirates. Though OpenAI and ChatGPT remain synonymous with AI for many, the company faces mounting competition from Alphabet Inc.'s Google and Anthropic, among others. Anthropic is also in talks to raise a large new round of funding at a $350 billion valuation, Bloomberg News has reported. OpenAI was most recently valued at $500 billion in the fall of 2025 in a deal that allowed some employees to sell shares.

OpenAI seeking investments from Middle East sovereign wealth funds for multibillion-dollar round

OpenAI is in talks with sovereign wealth funds in the Middle East to try to secure investments for a new multibillion dollar funding round, CNBC confirmed on Wednesday. The round is expected to total around $50 billion, but the numbers could change and term sheets have not been signed, according to a source familiar with the discussions who asked not to be named because the details are confidential. Bloomberg was first to report the discussions. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is in the United Arab Emirates to participate in the investment talks, the person said. The round is expected to close in the first quarter of the year. OpenAI kickstarted the AI boom by launching its artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT in 2022, and has since become one of the fastest growing commercial entities on the planet. The company has raised billions of dollars from investors as it's worked to scale and develop new models and roll out new features. Last year, OpenAI closed a $40 billion financing round led by SoftBank, the largest private tech funding on record. The round included participation from core investor Microsoft, as well as Coatue, Altimeter and Thrive. OpenAI also finalized a $6.6 billion share sale in October that boosted its valuation to $500 billion.

OpenAI nears new $50 billion funding round in Middle East

Less than a month after SoftBank completed its $40 billion investment in OpenAI, the tech company is on the hunt for more funds, this time in the Middle East. CEO Sam Altman reportedly recently visited the United Arab Emirates to speak with sovereign wealth funds in the area, hoping to close a new multibillion-dollar funding round which is expected to total $50 billion or more, which would set a new record for private funding. That would boost the company's valuation to between $750 billion and $830 billion, Bloomberg reports. The round is expected to close by the end of the first quarter. OpenAI has also reportedly held talks with Amazon $AMZN. Should the deal close, this wouldn't be the first time OpenAI has turned to the Middle East for financial help. MGX, an Abu Dhabi-based tech investment firm, has invested in the company previously. And it is in the process of building a large data center in the UAE. OpenAI last February finalized the $40 billion SoftBank investment, the final installment of which was delivered in late December. At the time, that was the largest private funding round on record. The company also raised $6.6 billion in October via a share sale. While OpenAI is generally seen as the category leader in the AI space, the company is still not profitable and has been burning through cash at a breathtaking rate. At the same time, it has faced increased competition from Google $GOOGL's Gemini and other AI companies as their chatbots and technologies become more advanced. To stay atop the field, OpenAI is planning to once again run a commercial during this year's Super Bowl - and the company is said to be about to offer ads on its ChatGPT to advertisers, something Altman has said he has historically been resistant toward. "Ads plus AI is uniquely unsettling to me," he said at a 2024 Harvard University fireside chat. "When I think of GPT writing me a response, if I had to go figure out exactly how much was [a sponsor] paying ... to influence what I'm being shown, I don't think I would like that very much."

OpenAI's Sam Altman meets Mideast investors for $50 billion round

The ChatGPT maker is looking to raise $50 billion or more in the round at a valuation of about $750 billion to $830 billion, the people said. The talks are early, and the amount could change. OpenAI has also recently held talks with Amazon.com Inc. to raise at least $10 billion, Bloomberg News has reported. OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman has been meeting with top investors in the Middle East to line up funding for a new investment round that could total at least $50 billion, according to people familiar with the matter. Altman recently visited the region, where he spoke with investors, including some of the leading state-backed funds in Abu Dhabi, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity as the information is not public. The ChatGPT maker is looking to raise $50 billion or more in the round at a valuation of about $750 billion to $830 billion, the people said. The talks are early, and the amount could change. OpenAI has also recently held talks with Amazon.com Inc. to raise at least $10 billion, Bloomberg News has reported. OpenAI declined to comment. The Information previously reported the company had discussed raising tens of billions of dollars at a $750 billion valuation. OpenAI has raised billions of dollars in recent years to help finance the immense cost of chips, data centers and talent to build new artificial intelligence systems and support wider adoption of the technology. The startup, which is not yet profitable, has committed to spend more than $1.4 trillion on AI infrastructure in the coming years. Several top AI developers, including Anthropic PBC and Elon Musk's xAI, have turned to deep-pocketed investors in the Middle East to meet their growing capital needs. OpenAI has previously raised funding from MGX, an Abu Dhabi-based tech investment firm. It has also partnered with G42 to develop a massive data center in the United Arab Emirates. Though OpenAI and ChatGPT remain synonymous with AI for many, the company faces mounting competition from Alphabet Inc.'s Google and Anthropic, among others. Anthropic is also in talks to raise a large new round of funding at a $350 billion valuation, Bloomberg News has reported. OpenAI was most recently valued at $500 billion in the fall of 2025 in a deal that allowed some employees to sell shares.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Seeks $50B From Middle East Investors | PYMNTS.com

Altman is hoping to gain their participation in a round that could take in at least $50 billion, Bloomberg News reported Wednesday (Jan. 21), citing unnamed sources. Altman visited the region to meet with investors, including some of the top state-sponsored funds in Abu Dhabi, the report said. If OpenAI raises $50 billion or more, the startup would be valued at $750 billion to $830 billion. The company has raised billions of dollars in recent years to fund the cost of acquiring chips, building data centers and attracting talent, according to the report. The as-yet-unprofitable company has committed to spending over $1.4 trillion on AI infrastructure in the years ahead. Other high-profile AI companies, such as xAi and Anthropic, have also sought funding from investors in the Middle East, the report said. OpenAI has already received investment from MGX, an Abu Dhabi-based tech investment firm, and has collaborated with G42 to construct a massive data center in the United Arab Emirates. The UAE and Saudi Arabia are racing to build data centers at scale as the countries vie for AI supremacy in their region, PYMNTS reported last year. In other OpenAI news, the company is reportedly working to expand the reach of its products in countries without widespread AI access. The company's "OpenAI for Countries" program is designed to push governments to construct more data centers and lobby for greater AI use in areas such as health, education and disaster preparedness. Meanwhile, new findings from the World Economic Forum showed that Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are emerging as early leaders in the practical use of agentic AI, moving from testing of the technology to scaled use more quickly than many peers. The WEF pointed to evidence that 19% of GCC organizations have already gone beyond pilot programs into full implementation, fueled by a combination of unified national AI strategies, robust executive sponsorship and regulatory alignment. "Rather than replacing human roles, agentic AI systems are shifting work toward higher-value activities, with humans increasingly focused on judgment, oversight, ethics and relationship management while AI agents handle verification, monitoring and routine decision-making," PYMNTS reported Monday (Jan. 19). For all PYMNTS AI coverage, subscribe to the daily AI Newsletter.