OpenAI plans to accelerate a $30 billion funding round, aiming to lock in capital ahead of Anthropic’s IPO.

According to a Reuters report dated October 20, multiple informed sources revealed that OpenAI is accelerating a new funding round valued at approximately US dollar 3 billion, aiming to secure investor commitments ahead of Anthropic’s planned mid-November IPO; if progress proceeds smoothly, its valuation could surpass US dollar 1.4 trillion. SoftBank, Abu Dhabi-based investment firm MGX, and several existing shareholders have already begun discussions regarding this funding round, though specific investment intentions and amounts remain undetermined. Currently, OpenAI and Anthropic are competing for the same pool of potential investors: last week, OpenAI held intensive meetings with numerous long-term investment funds and sovereign wealth funds; some investors analyzed that this move aims to preemptively capture capital that might otherwise flow into Anthropic’s initial public offering (IPO). Meanwhile, the company urgently needs funds to support its large-scale infrastructure development and to strengthen its balance sheet amid persistent weakness in the IPO market and a further delay to its originally scheduled 2027 listing timeline. Additionally, according to an informed source, OpenAI has emphasized to potential investors that revenue growth has significantly accelerated following the launch of GPT-6 Astra, with current annualized revenue reaching US dollar 50 billion and projected to climb to US dollar 70 billion by year-end; the company also hopes to complete this funding round before Anthropic releases more detailed financial data—which could trigger deeper investor comparisons.