OpenAI Pursues 30 Billion Dollar Raise at 1.25 Trillion Valuation

OpenAI is trying to raise up to $30 billion from private investors. The deal could value the artificial intelligence company at $1.25 trillion before its planned initial public offering (IPO), when a company first sells its shares to the public. CNBC reported on October 22, 2026, that Coatue and investors from the United Arab Emirates are leading the effort. The two sides are still discussing the deal's terms.

According to CNBC, the funding deal could also include an agreement to increase OpenAI's computing power by using resources in the United Arab Emirates. OpenAI declined to comment on the reported plans to raise money.

The latest proposal follows a Bloomberg report in September that OpenAI was seeking $30 billion at a value of $1.4 trillion. The two reported values are different because the terms are still being discussed. The final value could change before the deal is completed.

If OpenAI completes the funding round at the newly reported value, the company would be worth more than $1 trillion. It could become the most valuable private company ever. The deal would also set a higher value for investors to consider before the company's expected stock market debut.

OpenAI privately filed paperwork for an IPO in June. This came after a funding round in March that valued the company behind ChatGPT at $852 billion after the new money was included. OpenAI has not publicly announced when it plans to start selling shares on the stock market.

The fundraising plans also matter for Anthropic, another major artificial intelligence company that is preparing for a possible IPO. CNBC reported that Anthropic is seeking a value of between $1.5 trillion and $2 trillion for its expected stock market debut.

Anthropic raised $65 billion in May at a company value of $965 billion. At the time, many people saw this as possibly the company's last major private funding round before it went public. Like OpenAI, Anthropic privately filed IPO paperwork in June.

The funding and stock market plans of these two competing companies show how much investors may be willing to pay for leading artificial intelligence businesses. However, the reported values are still being discussed. According to the information reported by CNBC and Bloomberg, neither company's final terms for going public have been settled.