OpenAI, the leading artificial intelligence research laboratory, has secured a massive funding round of $6.6 billion, in the largest VC deal of all time, valuing the company at a staggering $157 billion.
The funding will be directed towards bolstering its leadership in frontier AI research, expanding compute capacity, and developing tools for complex problem-solving. The company aims to collaborate with the U.S. government and other partners to foster a beneficial AI ecosystem.
This funding round, led by Thrive Capital and supported by existing investors like Microsoft and Nvidia, marks a significant milestone for OpenAI. Although specific details about new investors were not disclosed, Thrive reportedly committed $1 billion. OpenAI emphasised that this funding would reinforce its position in AI research and development, in a blog post.
“The new funding will allow us to double down on our leadership in frontier AI research, increase compute capacity, and continue building tools that help people solve hard problems,” OpenAI wrote in the post.
With 250 million weekly ChatGPT users, including 11 million ChatGPT Plus subscribers and 1 million business users, OpenAI is also navigating challenges, including the recent departures of key executives, including CTO Mira Murati.
The recent surge of funding coincides with OpenAI’s efforts to fully transition from a nonprofit research institute to a for-profit corporation. The firm is considering restructuring into a for-profit benefit corporation, which would reduce non-profit board control and potentially attract more investors.
The non-profit organisation will maintain a minority stake in the new arrangement, potentially altering the governance of AI risk management, as reported by Reuters. CEO Sam Altman is set to receive equity in the for-profit venture.
Last month, OpenAI unveiled its O1 series, a new generation of AI models designed to enhance complex reasoning and mathematical problem-solving. These models achieved an impressive 83% success rate on an International Mathematics Olympiad qualifying exam, significantly outperforming GPT-4o’s 13%