OpenAI

AI group OpenAI is setting the course for the future – with a prominent new addition to its leadership team and negotiations for data centers worth hundreds of billions of euros. On July 27, OpenAI appointed Alisha Lehr, previously Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer for Artificial Intelligence at Morgan Stanley. The 33-year-old, who worked for the investment bank for nine years, is taking on a leadership role in private equity. The move is part of a massive growth strategy: OpenAI aims to double its workforce to 8,000 employees by the end of 2026.

In parallel, negotiations are underway with chip specialist Nvidia for a financing commitment equivalent to around 230 billion euros. The money is earmarked for a gigantic data center in the US state of Ohio – with a capacity of ten gigawatts. Industry experts estimate the total cost of the project at over 460 billion euros. The first expansion stage with 800 megawatts is scheduled to go into operation in 2028. Additionally, further chip financing of around 320 billion euros is reportedly under discussion. The infrastructure plans follow a period of rapid financial expansion.

At the end of July, OpenAI was valued at the equivalent of around 785 billion euros – internal targets even aim for the trillion-euro mark. 5 billion euros each from Nvidia and SoftBank. While giants like OpenAI are investing massively in infrastructure, companies in this country must primarily keep an eye on the legal framework. This free implementation guide explains the risk classes and obligations of the new EU AI Act for legally compliant use of AI systems. 8 billion euros – projected to 23 billion euros per year. 40 percent of the revenue comes from the enterprise customer business.

Advertising in ChatGPT is also paying off: A pilot project generated an annual revenue of around 92 million euros within six weeks. Despite these figures, OpenAI is deeply in the red. 6 billion euros on revenue of twelve billion euros. The reason is the immense expenditure on computing power, which is expected to rise to the equivalent of 550 billion euros by 2030. On June 8, 2026, OpenAI confidentially filed its IPO application with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) – just one week after competitor Anthropic. However, new reports from today, Tuesday, indicate that the IPO could be postponed to 2027.

The rapid progress in AI models brings not only opportunities but also new regulatory requirements that many companies are not yet familiar with. A free report clarifies which AI systems are classified as high-risk and what responsible parties must do now. Download the free implementation guide for the EU AI Act now CEO Sam Altman is reportedly insisting on a minimum valuation of one trillion euros for the public listing.