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The Emirates News Agency reported that OpenAI has engaged in discussions with a new investor for a funding round aimed at a $1.2 trillion valuation ahead of a potential initial public offering. This target would represent a significant increase from the company’s most recent valuation. The development comes as OpenAI continues to expand its infrastructure and model capabilities following several large capital raises in the past 18 months.
OpenAI closed a $122 billion funding round in March 2026 at a post-money valuation of $852 billion according to the company’s own announcement at the time. That round was anchored by strategic partners including Amazon, NVIDIA and SoftBank with continued participation from Microsoft. Total funding raised by OpenAI now exceeds $178 billion across more than 20 rounds a Private Market View assessment found.
The artificial intelligence developer has seen its valuation climb rapidly since early 2025 when it stood at $300 billion following a $40 billion raise led by SoftBank. Subsequent rounds in late 2025 and early 2026 pushed the figure higher as investor appetite for AI infrastructure intensified. OpenAI’s revenue run rate reached $24 billion by mid-2026 according to stock analysis platforms tracking the company.
Worldwide spending on artificial intelligence is forecast to total $2.59 trillion in 2026 representing a 47 percent increase year-over-year a Gartner report published in May 2026 stated. Infrastructure including servers and data centers will account for more than half of that expenditure as hyperscalers expand capacity. Gartner noted that enterprises are expected to accelerate their AI investments in the second half of the year driving further demand for advanced models.
OpenAI’s latest talks reflect sustained momentum in the sector even as the company prepares for an eventual public listing. The Financial Times first detailed the $1.2 trillion discussions which the Emirates News Agency subsequently covered. Participation from a new investor could broaden the company’s shareholder base beyond its existing backers.
Microsoft remains OpenAI’s largest shareholder with a stake valued at more than $228 billion based on the March 2026 valuation according to a cap table analysis by StartupHub.ai. SoftBank has also committed substantial resources including loans to finance its positions in the company. These investments have supported OpenAI’s development of successive GPT models and enterprise services now used globally.
