OpenAI Accelerates $30 Billion Funding Round Amid Anthropic’s IPO Plans

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OpenAI is moving forward with a $30 billion funding round as liquidity and crypto markets prepare for Anthropic’s mid-November IPO. The raise values OpenAI at $140 billion and aims to quickly secure capital ahead of its rival. SoftBank and MGX are among major investors in discussions. The EU’s MiCA regulation could reshape funding dynamics in the sector. OpenAI seeks to support infrastructure costs and potential IPO delays until 2027.
As the frontier race in artificial intelligence heats up, the two giants in the AI field are engaged in a race against time for capital on financial markets.

Author and source: AIBase

According to Reuters, citing informed sources, OpenAI is racing against time to secure investor commitments in order to accelerate its new funding round before competitor Anthropic is expected to go public in mid-November. Due to the unusually rapid pace, this funding round is projected to move significantly faster than the typical timeline for a financing of similar scale. If successful, OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, could see a valuation exceeding $1.4 trillion (approximately RMB 9.37 trillion) in this round.

This highly urgent fundraising arrangement directly reflects OpenAI’s true intent to secure access to capital markets. As competition intensifies between the two leading labs in both technology and commercialization, both are vying for the same pool of top-tier investors. Last week, even as Anthropic held its Investor Day, OpenAI held intensive meetings with numerous long-term investment funds and sovereign wealth funds.

It is reported that SoftBank Group, MGX based in Abu Dhabi, and other existing investors in OpenAI are currently in advanced discussions to participate in this round of financing, which is approximately $30 billion (approximately RMB 200.782 billion). In addition to leveraging recent model releases to boost revenue and solidify its position as a market leader, OpenAI’s primary motivation for actively raising funds is to secure market capital that might otherwise flow into Anthropic’s IPO.

For OpenAI, a massive capital infusion is critical. Investors familiar with its operations note that the company requires enormous capital to support its high infrastructure investments; on the other hand, sufficient cash flow will provide strong financial buffer for its balance sheet if market conditions cause its planned 2027 IPO to be delayed.

However, the surge in high-value funding requests in the short term has posed challenges for investment institutions. Faced with two AI unicorns with extremely complex business structures and intense competitive rivalry, investors must rapidly evaluate and make capital allocation decisions within just weeks—or even days. The capital race around the top-tier AI ecosystem is accelerating at full speed.

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