Sam Altman, founder and CEO of OpenAI, participates in a discussion on artificial intelligence at the Technical University of Berlin on February 7, 2025 in Berlin, Germany.
Axel Schmidt | Reuters
OpenAI is in talks with sovereign wealth funds in the Middle East to secure investments in a new multibillion-dollar funding round, CNBC confirmed Wednesday.
The round is expected to total about $50 billion, but the number could change and term sheets have not been signed, according to a source familiar with the discussions who spoke on condition of anonymity because the details are confidential. Bloomberg He was the first to report on the discussions.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is in the United Arab Emirates for investment talks, the person said. The round is expected to close in the first quarter of the year.
OpenAI started the AI boom in 2022 with the launch of the artificial intelligence ChatGPT chatbot 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 works to expand and develop new models and launch new features.
OpenAI was shut down last year $40 billion Funding round led by SoftBank, largest private tech financing on record. The round included the participation of a major investor Microsoftas well as Coatue, Altimeter and Thrive.
OpenAI is also a $6.6 billion the sale of the stock in October increased its value to 500 billion dollars.
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