Sam Altman approaches Gulf funds for OpenAI expansion

OpenAI has been courting Middle Eastern investors, including Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth funds, as it prepares to raise as much as $50 billion in its latest funding round.

CEO Sam Altman recently visited the region to meet with top investors, Bloomberg reports.

The ChatGTP maker, which has previously received backing from Abu Dhabi tech investor MGX and is partnering with G42 to build the huge Starlink data center in the emirate, is seeking funds at a valuation of about $750 billion to $830 billion.

It comes as competitor Anthropic, which is backed by the Qatar Investment Authority, is also in talks to raise more funds.