OpenAI could be on the brink of bankruptcy in under 12 months, with projections of $5 billion in losses

OpenAI could be on the brink of bankruptcy in under 12 months, with projections of $5 billion in losses

What you need to know

  • OpenAI is reportedly on the verge of bankruptcy with projections of a $5 billion loss.
  • The startup spends $7 billion on training its AI models and $1.5 billion on staffing.
  • The ChatGPT maker’s operation costs aren’t satisfied by the approximate $3.5 billion generated in revenue.

As someone who has closely followed the technology industry for the past decade, I find it intriguing and concerning to witness OpenAI’s financial predicament despite being a significant player in the AI landscape. The report of its potential $5 billion loss in 2024 and possible bankruptcy is alarming, especially given the impressive growth we have seen with tech giants like Microsoft, Apple, and NVIDIA.


The thriving AI industry has led major tech companies, including Microsoft, Apple, and NVIDIA, toward substantial financial success. In recent months, these corporations have engaged in intense competition for the title of the world’s most valuable company. Analysts credit their impressive revenue and profit gains to their early integration and commitment to AI technology within their offerings.

Surprisingly, OpenAI, a major figure in the AI industry, may face significant losses up to $5 billion by the year 2024. As per a report from The Information, this creators of ChatGPT could be at risk of bankruptcy, as financial forecasts suggest they might exhaust their cash reserves within the next year.

OpenAI shells out approximately $700,000 each day to maintain ChatGPT, a figure that may increase as the model grows more complex. According to recent reports, OpenAI is projected to spend around $8.5 billion in total on developing its AI models and an extra $1.5 billion on hiring staff – dwarfing the estimated expenses of competitors by a significant margin for the year 2024.

OpenAI is running on fumes, but remains focused on AGI

OpenAI could be on the brink of bankruptcy in under 12 months, with projections of $5 billion in losses

According to reports, OpenAI benefits from discounted usage of Microsoft’s Azure services. Yet, the significant progress in their AI projects is putting financial pressure on the company.

Based on data from Appfigures’ report, OpenAI experienced a significant surge in ChatGPT’s mobile revenue and downloads following the release of GPT-4. This surge contributes approximately $2 billion yearly from ChatGPT’s mobile earnings and an extra $1 billion from fees for accessing Large Language Models (LLMs). Consequently, OpenAI’s annual revenue is estimated to be within the range of $3.5 billion to $4.5 billion.

Despite this, the revenue barely meets the company’s operational expenses. It’s important to mention that OpenAI has undergone seven funding rounds, bringing in over $11 billion, and currently holds a valuation of $80 billion. Moreover, reports indicate that OpenAI is operating at near full capacity, with approximately 290,000 out of its total 350,000 servers being used for its AI assistant, ChatGPT.

Despite the uncertainty over how OpenAI will generate revenue or obtain further financing for their innovations, CEO Sam Altman remains fully committed to attaining artificial general intelligence (AGI).

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2024-07-25 22:39