Exclusive: OpenAI Secures Another Giant Funding Deal (The New York Times)

[soAsian]

"OpenAI has raised $8.3 billion at a $300 billion valuation, months ahead of schedule, as part of its plan to secure $40 billion in funding this year"

Sam can now poach back the people he lost to Zucc's Meta.

I'm pretty sure AI will boom for a while and then settle back into the normal tech cycle.
If you ask me who to bet on in this AI boom, I think TSMC is going to get the biggest chunk of money selling shovels made for Nvidia, AMD, Intel, and others.

Can you smell that sweet sweet VC's AI money? (Dwayne Johnson's voice, the rock)

https://archive.md/H9JNt#selection-4307.0-4307.52

OpenAI has raised $8.3 billion at a $300 billion valuation, months ahead of schedule, as part of its plan to secure $40 billion in funding this year, DealBook has learned. Back in March, OpenAI announced its ambitious funding plans, with SoftBank committing to provide $30 billion by year-end.

The start-up raised $2.5 billion from venture capital firms that same month, with plans to raise an additional $7.5 billion by the end of the year. Instead, the fund-raising came much sooner — and over target.

A wave of new investors participated in the round, including the private equity giants Blackstone and TPG, and the mutual fund manager T. Rowe Price. Other participants include Fidelity Management, Founders Fund, Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Coatue Management, Altimeter Capital, D1 Capital Partners, Tiger Global and Thrive Capital.

The biggest investor was Dragoneer Investment Group, which committed $2.8 billion, an astonishing check from a single venture capital firm that may be one of the largest ever written.

OpenAI’s business continues to surge. DealBook hears that the company’s annual recurring revenue has soared to $13 billion, up from $10 billion in June — and is projected to surpass $20 billion by the end of the year.

 

[Daniel Nenni]

Here is the ChatGPT version:

Summary: OpenAI Secures $8.3 Billion in Funding at $300 Billion Valuation (August 1, 2025)

OpenAI has closed a massive $8.3 billion funding round, valuing the company at $300 billion, as it races to secure $40 billion in funding by the end of 2025. This round came months earlier than expected and significantly exceeded initial targets.

Key Highlights:​

• Largest investor: Dragoneer Investment Group committed $2.8 billion, one of the largest VC checks ever, marking a bold move into the AI space.
• Strategic backers: New investors include Blackstone, TPG, and T. Rowe Price, as well as heavyweights like Fidelity, Sequoia, Andreessen Horowitz, Founders Fund, and others.
• Oversubscribed: The round was five times oversubscribed, causing frustration among some existing investors due to limited allocations.
• Purpose: OpenAI views firms like Blackstone and TPG as strategically important for driving ChatGPT adoption in industries such as healthcare, finance, and manufacturing.

Business Momentum:​

• Annual recurring revenue (ARR): Now at $13 billion, up from $10B in June, with a forecast to surpass $20 billion by year-end.
• ChatGPT business users: Reached 5 million paid users, up from 3 million just months ago.

Strategic Outlook:​

• The funding surge coincides with ongoing negotiations with Microsoft, OpenAI’s biggest partner and investor, over its transition to a for-profit structure.
• A successful deal with Microsoft could pave the way for an OpenAI IPO, potentially making it the defining tech company of the next decade.

This massive round underscores the intensifying race in AI, with OpenAI cementing its position as a dominant force — both in technological leadership and investor confidence.