OpenAI Holds Early Talks to Raise Up to $100Bn at About $750Bn Valuation

OpenAI has held preliminary discussions with potential investors about a large funding round that could value the company at around $750 billion and raise as much as $100 billion, The Information reported. If finalised, the deal would represent about a 50% increase from the $500 billion valuation cited after an employee secondary share sale in October.

The talks are said to be at an early stage and the terms may still change. The fundraising discussions come after a year marked by major commercial agreements and closer ties between OpenAI and cloud and chip providers, as well as large strategic investors.

OpenAI IPO

The potential deal comes as OpenAI lays the groundwork for an initial public offering (IPO) that could value the company at as much as $1 trillion. Reuters has previously reported that OpenAI may file with securities regulators as early as the second half of 2026 as it prepares for a public listing.

The prospective fundraise highlights the AI sector’s continued and growing demand for computing power, as companies race to build systems that can match or surpass human capabilities. OpenAI has already signed multibillion-dollar AI deals this year with companies such as Nvidia and Oracle.

Despite the scale of investment, investors remain cautious, closely watching for any signs that demand for AI may be slowing or that the massive capital commitments are not delivering returns as expected.

OpenAI New Image Model

OpenAI has introduced a new image-generation model along with a dedicated image-creation interface inside ChatGPT, expanding the platform beyond text-based interactions. The update, shared by OpenAI’s chief executive of applications, Fidji Simo, signals a broader shift towards visual, multimodal and task-oriented AI experiences, with potential implications for education, skill-building and creative work.

Simo outlined the changes in a LinkedIn post and elaborated on them in a Substack essay, explaining how ChatGPT is moving away from being purely reactive and text-driven.

“Humans don’t just think in words,” Simo wrote. “In fact, some of our most compelling ideas often begin as images, sounds, movements, and patterns in our minds.”

She said the new image-generation model is paired with a dedicated visual entry point within ChatGPT, designed to feel more like a creative studio than a standard chat interface. According to Simo, the update enables faster image creation, better instruction-following and more precise edits that retain key elements such as lighting, composition and likeness.

“Creating and editing images is a different kind of task and deserves a space built for visuals,” she wrote.