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OpenAI announced Monday it has raised $40 billion in a funding round led by Japan’s SoftBank Group Corp. (TYO:9984), pushing the AI firm’s valuation to a staggering $300 billion. This marks a major leap from its $157 billion valuation in October 2024, when it secured $6.6 billion in funding. The deal positions OpenAI among the world’s most valuable private tech companies and significantly strengthens SoftBank’s position as a key backer, second only to Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), OpenAI’s longtime strategic partner.
The capital raise comes as OpenAI’s flagship chatbot, ChatGPT, continues to dominate the artificial intelligence space. With over 500 million weekly users, the tool recently gained massive attention following a major update that enhanced its image generation capabilities. The upgrade has fueled another wave of viral growth for the AI platform, which first made headlines by hitting 100 million monthly active users within two months of its late-2022 launch.
OpenAI stated the new funding will accelerate development of “increasingly powerful tools,” furthering its mission toward achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI). The investment also supports Project Stargate, a $500 billion initiative between OpenAI and SoftBank to build cutting-edge AI data center infrastructure across the U.S.
The deal reflects surging global interest in AI technology, as both businesses and consumers integrate AI-driven solutions at unprecedented speed. SoftBank’s massive investment underscores confidence in OpenAI’s leadership in the evolving AI race, as the company continues to set benchmarks for innovation, scale, and user adoption. With new resources and global partnerships, OpenAI is poised to shape the future of AI development and infrastructure on a global scale.
