OpenAI forecasts cash burn near $280 billion by 2030, FT reports

Sept 18 : OpenAI expects to burn through $278 billion in cash between 2026 and 2030 as it ramps up spending on computing power and infrastructure, the Financial Times reported on Friday, citing a company presentation seen by the newspaper.

The projection highlights OpenAI's funding needs as it seeks fresh investment, with the FT reporting earlier this week that the ChatGPT maker had held talks with investors that could value it at about $1.2 trillion ahead of a potential listing.

• OpenAI filed confidentially for an IPO in June, but CEO Sam Altman said on Saturday the company would not go public in 2026 because of concerns about AI safety.

• OpenAI forecasts negative free cash flow of $278 billion over the five-year period from 2026 to 2030 while investing aggressively to secure computing capacity needed to train and run its AI models, FT said.

• The AI firm expects revenue to increase tenfold over the same period, rising from $36 billion this year to $350 billion in 2030, the FT said, adding that OpenAI anticipates generating a cumulative $840 billion in revenue through the end of the decade.

• OpenAI forecasts spending about $856 billion on computing power and infrastructure by the end of 2030, its largest expense category, the report said. The FT said the company raised $122 billion in March at an $852 billion valuation but is on track to exhaust that cash by 2028.

• OpenAI could not immediately be reached for comment outside regular business hours.