OpenAI Eyes More Funding After Record $122 Billion Round

OpenAI may pursue additional fundraising despite recently closing a record $122 billion private funding round, Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar told Bloomberg TV. Friar described a "vertical wall of demand" for AI computing power that remains scarce in 2026, driving the company's ongoing capital needs. OpenAI currently serves over 900 million weekly active ChatGPT users and 4 million Codex users, intensifying pressure on infrastructure. Friar indicated the company could eventually turn to public markets, which she noted are significantly larger and more flexible than private markets. Microsoft, a key corporate partner, continues to provide multibillion-dollar investments in chips, data centers, and cloud capacity to support OpenAI's operations. Friar characterized the ability to secure computing infrastructure as both a primary competitive advantage for OpenAI and a defining challenge across the AI industry. The comments signal that even after securing the largest private funding round of its kind, OpenAI views capital raises as an ongoing necessity rather than a one-time event.