OpenAI adjusts growth path, sets 600 billion USD computing power target — CNBC

Investing.com—According to CNBC, citing sources familiar with the matter, OpenAI has significantly revised its long-term financial plan, shifting toward a more cautious spending strategy while expanding its artificial intelligence operations. The company is currently informing investors of a plan to invest approximately $600 billion in total computing power by 2030.

This new figure contrasts sharply with the more aggressive infrastructure targets previously proposed by management. A few months ago, CEO Sam Altman claimed a commitment of $1.4 trillion for infrastructure, a scale that drew widespread attention in Silicon Valley and Wall Street.

To justify its large-scale capital expenditure, the startup expects its revenue to soar to over $280 billion by the end of this decade. Sources told CNBC that the company anticipates its consumer and enterprise divisions will contribute nearly equally to achieving this goal.

This growth trajectory continues the strong performance of 2025, when OpenAI generated $13.1 billion in revenue. Reports indicate that this figure exceeded the company’s internal target of $10 billion, achieving an over-expected result despite annual expenses of about $8 billion.

The strategic shift comes as OpenAI is nearing the completion of a historic funding round potentially exceeding $100 billion. Major strategic players such as SoftBank and Amazon are expected to participate, further integrating this startup into the world’s largest tech ecosystem.

Nvidia is also in talks to invest up to $30 billion as part of the deal, which would bring OpenAI’s pre-money valuation to $730 billion. “We really enjoy working with Nvidia; they make the best AI chips in the world,” CEO Sam Altman recently stated, emphasizing the company’s reliance on Nvidia’s hardware.

The company also faces increasing competitive pressure on its flagship products, especially as rivals like Google and Anthropic continue to make progress. In response, reports indicate that OpenAI announced entering a “red alert” mode last December to focus on improving the core ChatGPT experience.

Usage remains at historic highs, with sources saying the chatbot currently supports over 900 million weekly active users. This is a significant increase from 800 million users in October, indicating that despite broader concerns about profitability, consumer demand remains strong.

In addition to general chat functions, OpenAI is doubling down on professional tools like Codex to capture the lucrative developer market. This coding product has over 1.5 million weekly active users, despite facing direct competition from Anthropic’s Claude Code.

The revised $600 billion expenditure plan aims to more directly link capital spending with expected revenue growth. By providing a clearer timeline and lower spending caps, the startup seeks to alleviate investor concerns about an unsustainable “burning money” model.

As the AI industry matures, focus is shifting from raw capabilities to the underlying economic benefits of the technology. Whether OpenAI can convert its nearly 1 billion users into a $280 billion revenue engine remains a critical question in its high-risk expansion.

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