OpenAI projects 10x revenue growth by 2030, but compute costs to outpace earnings

According to a July presentation cited by the Financial Times, OpenAI projects a cumulative negative free cash flow of $278 billion from 2026 to 2030. While the company aims to increase annual revenue from $36 billion this year to $350 billion by 2030, total compute and infrastructure spending is expected to reach $856 billion, exceeding the projected cumulative revenue of $840 billion. The company's $122 billion funding round from March is expected to last until 2028. CEO Sam Altman stated on September 12 that the company does not plan to go public this year.