The financial implications of this transition are substantial, with OpenAI's costs expected to rise significantly. By 2027, the company anticipates burning through $20 billion in cash, a sharp increase from the $5 billion projected for 2024. By 2030, OpenAI forecasts that its expenses related to running AI models, known as inference, will surpass the costs associated with training these models.
Key takeaways:
- OpenAI plans to shift most of its computing power from Microsoft to SoftBank-backed Stargate by 2030.
- The transition represents a major shift away from Microsoft, OpenAI's biggest shareholder, who currently fulfills most of the startup's power needs.
- OpenAI's overall costs are projected to grow dramatically, with a forecasted cash burn of $20 billion in 2027.
- By 2030, OpenAI expects its costs for running AI models (inference) to surpass its spending on training AI models.