OpenAI prepares record investments and moves away from Microsoft

OpenAI, a leading developer of artificial intelligence technologies, plans to radically change the structure of its computing power over the next five years, according to a report by The Information. The company intends to significantly reduce its dependence on its largest shareholder Microsoft in favor of a new strategic partner – SoftBank.

By 2030, OpenAI expects to receive 75% of its required computing power from the Stargate project, which will be financed by SoftBank, recently becoming one of the company’s key investors. This decision marks a radical departure from the current model, where Microsoft is the main provider of computing resources.

However, the transition will be gradual: in the coming years, OpenAI plans to even increase spending on the use of data centers owned by Microsoft. At the same time, the company’s total expenses are expected to grow on an unprecedented scale. According to The Information, in 2027, OpenAI forecasts expenses of $20 billion, which is four times the $5 billion spent by the company in 2024.

Particularly notable is that by 2030, OpenAI expects a significant change in its cost structure: expenses for operating already trained AI models (inference) will exceed the costs of training them. This indicates the AI industry’s transition to a new phase of development, where the main costs are associated not with development, but with the practical application of artificial intelligence technologies.

This strategic maneuver could significantly affect the balance of power in the AI industry, creating a new powerful alliance between OpenAI and SoftBank, capable of competing with Microsoft’s dominant position in cloud computing for artificial intelligence.