OpenAI has filed for a blockbuster initial public offering (IPO) that could value the ChatGPT maker at more than $1trillion as it races its rivals to market.
The artificial intelligence firm confidentially filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, setting it on the pathway to its long-awaited Wall Street debut.
OpenAI follows rivals SpaceX and Anthropic in rushing to list on Wall Street to capitalise on increased appetite from investors looking to gain exposure to AI firms.
Elon Musk’s rocket and AI firm was the first to break cover and is set to IPO on Friday, while Claude chatbot maker Anthropic confidentially filed for an IPO last week.
The size or terms of OpenAI’s offering were not disclosed, nor has a timeline been determined, but OpenAI is likely to want to beat rival Anthropic to market.
The AI giant, led by Sam Altman, gained first-mover advantage when it launched ChatGPT in November 2022 and secured a contract with Microsoft, but has since lagged other firms including Anthropic.
Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at IG said: ‘Just when the supersized tech rally was looking a little tired, along comes the news of OpenAI’s decision to IPO.
‘Presumably the move has been spurred along by Anthropic’s recent move towards a public listing, but now markets face the test of yet another superheavyweight firm listing to test demand for these highly-valued companies that promise to reshape not just the investing landscape, but the entirety of human society.
He added: ‘The parallels with the early 2010s when the previous wave of loss-making tech costs are clear, but this time the stakes are much higher and the risks much greater.’
The trio of AI firms are targeting valuations in excess of $1trillion in a period of extreme excitement among investors, but there are also concerns of a bubble forming.
All three firms are likely to post huge losses over the coming years as they spend on data centres and other infrastructure.
For example, OpenAI is estimated to spend upwards of $100billion a year on infrastructure and processing power.
SpaceX, which will later this week look to raise as much as $86billion, said only one of its divisions – the connectivity segment powered by Starlink – was profitable in the first quarter.
The company booked a total operating loss of $1.94billion.
Investment management firm Morningstar believes Musk’s firm is ‘significantly overvalued’ and cut its valuation to $780billion.
Susannah Streeter, chief investment strategist, Wealth Club said: ‘AI is a relatively new game, the rules have not been fully drawn up – with regulation still playing catch-up – so potential winners and losers are still hard to pin down.
‘Investors should tread carefully amid the coming months of IPO fervour, and take part only if they are highly diversified, and with money they may be prepared to lose given the risks right now.’
