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Sep 17, 20260 views2 min read

OpenAI Weighs New Funding Round That Could Value the Company at 1.5 Trillion Dollars

OpenAI is in early discussions about a new funding round that could value the company between 1.2 trillion and 1.5 trillion dollars, according to reports from mid-September 2026. The company is pushing for the higher figure, citing strong customer growth for its latest AI models including GPT-6 Astra. CEO Sam Altman has said an IPO is unlikely before 2027.

OpenAI Weighs New Funding Round That Could Value the Company at 1.5 Trillion Dollars
Source:Forbes

OpenAI is in early discussions about a new funding round that could value the company between $1.2 trillion and $1.5 trillion, according to reports published in mid-September 2026.

The company is pushing for the higher $1.5 trillion valuation, citing strong customer growth for its latest AI models, including GPT-6 Astra and GPT-5.6 Sol, as well as its Codex coding tool. Some investors have reportedly offered terms based on the lower $1.2 trillion figure.

If the round closes at $1.5 trillion, it would make OpenAI the world's most valuable private company. The potential financing follows a $122 billion funding round in March 2026, which valued the company at $852 billion and set a record for the largest single funding round in Silicon Valley history.

CEO Sam Altman has said a public listing is unlikely before 2027, citing concerns about the existential risks associated with artificial intelligence. The company has been under heightened scrutiny from antitrust regulators over its role in a proposed AI standards body involving Google and Anthropic.

OpenAI released GPT-6 Astra on September 3, 2026, a model capable of autonomous professional work that reached the "Critical" level under the company's internal cybersecurity framework. The model's advanced capabilities have drawn both commercial interest and safety concerns from researchers.

Since its founding in 2015, OpenAI has raised over $180 billion in total. The company's rapid growth has made it one of the most closely watched businesses in the technology sector.

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