Thinking Machines Seeks $1 Billion in New Funding Round

Thinking Machines, the AI lab founded by former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati, is in discussions to raise $1 billion in a funding round led by Accel. The deal would value the company at at least $40 billion, marking a significant increase from its previous $12 billion valuation, though it falls short of the $50 billion target the company reportedly sought late last year.

The startup currently maintains an annual revenue run rate exceeding $100 million. This growth is driven in part by Inkling, an open-weight model launched in July that charges usage-based compute fees through the Tinker platform. The company previously secured a $2 billion seed round led by Andreessen Horowitz, with participation from Nvidia, GV, Lightspeed, and Conviction Partners.

Despite the financial momentum, the company has faced internal instability. Co-founders Lilian Weng and Luke Metz have both departed the lab to return to OpenAI.