OpenAI Will Not Make a Profit Before 2030, Projects $278B Cash Burn
OpenAI forecasts $278 billion in negative free cash flow from 2026 through 2030 as computing and infrastructure costs soar, even as revenue is projected to reach $350 billion annually by the end of the decade.
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OpenAI expects to burn almost $280 billion through 2030 as soaring infrastructure costs deepen its dependence on fresh capital.
A recent presentation seen by the Financial Times projects negative free cash flow of $278 billion between 2026 and 2030, even as revenue rises sharply.
$856 Billion Compute Bill
OpenAI forecasts about $856 billion in spending on computing power and infrastructure by the end of 2030, its largest single expense.
The company needs vast data center and computing capacity to train and run its AI models.
Its spending commitments are also tied to future revenues at Nvidia, Oracle and SoftBank’s data center business.
Revenue Surges, Costs Run Faster
OpenAI expects annual revenue to rise from $36 billion this year to $350 billion in 2030.
Total revenue through the end of 2030 is projected at $840 billion.
But spending is expected to remain higher, keeping free cash flow deeply negative.
The latest forecast is slightly less severe than a May projection of $305 billion in negative free cash flow.
Capital Could Run Out In 2028
OpenAI raised $122 billion in March, but the presentation indicates that capital could be exhausted in 2028.
That makes continued fundraising central to its expansion.
The company, valued at $852 billion, has entered talks over another major funding round. Investors have discussed investing at a $1.2 trillion valuation, while OpenAI is seeking a higher figure.
Pricing Pressure Adds Strain
OpenAI has cut prices as it competes with U.S. rival Anthropic and cheaper open-weight models from China.
That pressure comes as the company continues to commit hundreds of billions of dollars to computing infrastructure.
IPO Deferred
OpenAI had targeted an initial public offering this autumn and confidentially filed paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission in June.
It later deferred the process, citing public concern over risks from rapidly advancing AI systems.
Some investors also believe concerns over how public markets would receive a heavily lossmaking company contributed to the delay.
Anthropic is expected to go public this autumn in a listing that could be the largest ever.
Ahmet Koçak
Ahmet Koçak is a news editor at Clash Report based in Istanbul. He previously served as Deputy Managing Editor at Türkiye Today, helping launch the digital news platform in 2023, and spent three years as Senior Editor at Daily Sabah. His work focuses on breaking news, geopolitics, international affairs, and digital journalism.
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