OpenAI Plans Massive $600 Billion Compute Spending as IPO Talks Grow

Post by : Saif Nasser

OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, is planning to spend around $600 billion on computing power by the year 2030, according to a source familiar with the matter. The move shows how serious the company is about expanding its artificial intelligence systems and preparing for a possible stock market listing that could value it close to $1 trillion.

The large spending plan highlights how costly it is to build and run advanced AI systems. AI models require powerful computers, special chips, large data centers, and huge amounts of electricity. As demand for AI tools grows across the world, companies like OpenAI must invest heavily in infrastructure to keep up.

In 2025, OpenAI earned $13 billion in revenue. This was higher than its earlier estimate of $10 billion. During the same year, the company spent $8 billion, which was slightly below its $9 billion target. These numbers show that OpenAI is growing quickly but is also spending heavily to support that growth.

The planned $600 billion compute investment through 2030 is part of a bigger long-term vision. Last year, OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman said the company was committed to spending as much as $1.4 trillion to develop 30 gigawatts of computing resources. To understand the scale, 30 gigawatts is enough electricity to power about 25 million homes in the United States. This shows how energy-intensive advanced AI systems can be.

At the same time, OpenAI is also moving toward a possible initial public offering, or IPO. An IPO would allow the company to sell shares to the public for the first time. Reports suggest that OpenAI could be valued at up to $1 trillion if market conditions are strong. Even before going public, the company is seeking to raise more than $100 billion in new funding from private investors.

Chipmaker Nvidia is reportedly close to finalizing a $30 billion investment in OpenAI. Nvidia is known for producing high-performance graphics processing units (GPUs), which are widely used in AI systems. These chips help train AI models faster and run them more efficiently. A large investment from Nvidia would strengthen the partnership between the two companies and secure OpenAI’s access to critical hardware.

OpenAI also has strong backing from Microsoft, which has invested billions of dollars in the company over the past few years. Microsoft integrates OpenAI’s models into products like cloud services and software tools. The partnership has helped both companies expand their presence in the fast-growing AI market.

By 2030, OpenAI expects to generate more than $280 billion in total revenue. This income is expected to be divided almost equally between consumer services, such as ChatGPT subscriptions, and enterprise services, where businesses pay for advanced AI tools and solutions. This balanced growth strategy suggests that OpenAI is not relying on one single product or customer group.

However, running AI systems is becoming more expensive. Reports indicate that the cost of “inference,” which refers to the process of running AI models to answer user questions, increased fourfold in 2025. As more people and companies use AI services, the demand for computing power rises sharply. This increase in expenses caused OpenAI’s adjusted gross margin to fall from 40% in 2024 to 33% in 2025. In simple terms, the company is making less profit from each dollar of revenue because operating costs are climbing.

These rising costs show one of the biggest challenges in the AI industry. Training large models is expensive, but keeping them running day after day can cost even more. Data centers must operate around the clock, cooling systems must prevent overheating, and servers must be upgraded regularly.

The race to build stronger AI systems has turned into a global competition. Companies across the United States, Europe, and Asia are investing billions of dollars to lead the next wave of technological change. Governments are also paying attention, as AI is seen as important for economic growth, defense, and national security.

OpenAI’s massive spending plan sends a clear message: the future of AI will depend heavily on access to computing power. Companies that control advanced chips, energy supply, and data infrastructure will likely have a major advantage.

At the same time, investors will be watching closely. While high spending shows ambition, it also carries risk. If revenue growth slows or competition increases, maintaining profitability could become harder. The company will need to balance expansion with financial discipline, especially if it decides to go public.

The coming years will be critical for OpenAI. If it succeeds in scaling its technology while managing costs, it could become one of the most valuable technology companies in history. If challenges mount, it may face pressure to rethink its strategy.

For now, the plan to spend $600 billion on computing power shows just how central AI has become in the modern economy. The scale of investment reflects not only competition but also belief in AI’s potential to transform industries, workplaces, and everyday life.