OpenAI to Get 110-B.-Dlr Investment from SoftBank Group, Others

Silicon Valley, Feb. 27 (Jiji Press)--U.S. artificial intelligence developer OpenAI said Friday that it has secured 110 billion dollars in new investment, including 30 billion dollars from Japanese technology investor SoftBank Group Corp.

The owner of the ChatGPT generative AI chatbot said it will receive 50 billion dollars from U.S. tech giant Amazon.com Inc. and 30 billion dollars from U.S. semiconductor powerhouse Nvidia Corp. The investment will be used to boost its AI infrastructure amid intensifying competition over AI development.

According to U.S. media reports, OpenAI is preparing for an initial public offering as early as the second half of this year. CEO Sam Altman said in an interview on U.S. broadcaster CNBC on Friday that he is open to going public at the right time.

ChatGPT has more than 900 million weekly users.

According to SoftBank Group, which began investing in OpenAI in September 2024, the planned move raises its total investment in the AI powerhouse to 64.6 billion dollars, boosting its stake to around 13 pct. The investment will occur in three stages by October through a group fund.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]