OpenAI Seeks $30B Fundraising Round

OpenAI is reportedly seeking up to $30 billion in a fundraising round that would value the company at $1.25 trillion, as it weighs when to go public. CNBC reported the figures, citing people familiar with the situation; the $1.25 trillion valuation does not include the new capital from the round. The final fundraising amount has not been settled. OpenAI reportedly told investors it wants signed commitments by the end of the week.

Participants reportedly include investment firm Coatue and unnamed investors from the United Arab Emirates. The funds are described as an “opportunistic” bridge ahead of a possible IPO, which was initially expected this year but has since been delayed. OpenAI confidentially filed IPO paperwork with the SEC in August, while executives have not said when the listing will happen. Last month, CEO Sam Altman told Fortune that going public was “an ill-advised moment”; CFO Sarah Friar has indicated the IPO could happen sometime in 2027.

The fundraising and IPO discussions come as OpenAI, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and others have called for an industrywide slowdown in AI development while seeking investor funding. Anthropic is reportedly considering a mid-November IPO valued at $1.5 trillion to $2 trillion. The New York Post reported that Wall Street investors were urging both companies to move quickly, citing concerns that a Democratic win in the midterms could prompt an AI industry crackdown. Separately, SpaceX, which includes Elon Musk’s xAI, held an IPO in June; Musk suggested this week that SpaceX could merge with Tesla, creating a company valued at $3.5 trillion. OpenAI did not provide comment to the Post.

OpenAI is reportedly seeking up to $30 billion in a fundraising round that would value the company at $1.25 trillion, as it weighs when to go public. CNBC reported the figures, citing people familiar with the situation; the $1.25 trillion valuation does not include the new capital from the round. The final fundraising amount has not been settled. OpenAI reportedly told investors it wants signed commitments by the end of the week.

Participants reportedly include investment firm Coatue and unnamed investors from the United Arab Emirates. The funds are described as an “opportunistic” bridge ahead of a possible IPO, which was initially expected this year but has since been delayed. OpenAI confidentially filed IPO paperwork with the SEC in August, while executives have not said when the listing will happen. Last month, CEO Sam Altman told Fortune that going public was “an ill-advised moment”; CFO Sarah Friar has indicated the IPO could happen sometime in 2027.

The fundraising and IPO discussions come as OpenAI, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and others have called for an industrywide slowdown in AI development while seeking investor funding. Anthropic is reportedly considering a mid-November IPO valued at $1.5 trillion to $2 trillion. The New York Post reported that Wall Street investors were urging both companies to move quickly, citing concerns that a Democratic win in the midterms could prompt an AI industry crackdown. Separately, SpaceX, which includes Elon Musk’s xAI, held an IPO in June; Musk suggested this week that SpaceX could merge with Tesla, creating a company valued at $3.5 trillion. OpenAI did not provide comment to the Post.