OpenAI expects to post negative free cash flow of $278 billion over the five years from 2026 to 2030, as it increases spending on the computing capacity and infrastructure needed to develop and operate artificial intelligence models, according to a company presentation.
The estimates highlight the scale of the company's financing needs as it seeks to attract new investment, alongside plans to increase revenue tenfold over the same period.
Revenue target: $350 billion
OpenAI expects revenue to rise from $36 billion this year to $350 billion in 2030, with cumulative revenue reaching $840 billion by the end of the decade.
The company estimates that it will spend about $856 billion on computing capacity and infrastructure by the end of 2030, making this spending its largest expense item.
Financing and IPO plans
OpenAI has held talks with investors that could value the company at about $1.2 trillion ahead of a potential stock-market listing.
The company raised $122 billion in March at a valuation of $852 billion, while its estimates suggest that it could exhaust that liquidity by 2028.
The company submitted a confidential filing for an initial public offering in June, but Chief Executive Sam Altman said last Saturday that OpenAI would not go public in 2026 because of concerns related to artificial intelligence safety.
