Amazon is in early-stage talks to invest up to $50 billion in OpenAI, marking a potential landmark deal in the escalating race among Big Tech groups to secure strategic positions in artificial intelligence. If completed, the investment would rank among the largest single bets ever made on a private technology company and could make Amazon the biggest contributor to OpenAI’s latest fundraising round.
Discussions are still preliminary and the final structure and size of the investment have yet to be agreed, according to reports. The talks come as OpenAI seeks to raise as much as $100 billion in fresh funding, a move that could value the company at around $830 billion and underline its central role in the global AI boom.
Competition to deepen ties with OpenAI has intensified as the company ramps up spending on data centres and computing infrastructure to meet surging demand for its models. Technology groups and major investors see close partnerships as a way to gain an edge in the AI race, particularly as costs soar and the scale of investment required continues to grow.
SoftBank Group is also in discussions to invest up to $30 billion in OpenAI, adding to the momentum behind the fundraising push. OpenAI recently signed a $10 billion computing agreement with Cerebras, a rival to Nvidia, and is laying the groundwork for a future stock market flotation that could ultimately value the company at as much as $1 trillion.
Negotiations with Amazon are being led by Andy Jassy, the chief executive of the world’s largest online retailer, and Sam Altman, OpenAI’s chief executive. An investment of up to $50 billion would significantly deepen Amazon’s exposure to the AI sector and strengthen its position alongside cloud rivals competing to supply the infrastructure that underpins advanced AI systems.
Amazon already has substantial interests in artificial intelligence through its cloud division and its backing of Anthropic, a major OpenAI rival. The company has invested roughly $8 billion in Anthropic, which was recently valued at $183 billion and has seen strong adoption among enterprise customers.
Anthropic has forecast rapid growth, projecting that its annualised revenue run rate will more than double and nearly triple by 2026 to about $26 billion. The company’s momentum highlights the increasingly competitive landscape facing OpenAI as alternative models gain traction with businesses seeking reliable and scalable AI tools.
Other major players are also circling. Nvidia, Amazon and Microsoft are reported to be in talks to invest up to $60 billion combined in OpenAI. Nvidia, whose chips power OpenAI’s models and which is already an investor, is said to be considering an additional investment of up to $30 billion, while Microsoft, OpenAI’s longstanding partner, is discussing a smaller contribution of less than $10 billion.
Amazon declined to comment on the discussions, and OpenAI did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Together, the talks underscore the extraordinary sums now being mobilised around artificial intelligence and the strategic importance of OpenAI as Big Tech firms position themselves for the next phase of the AI-driven transformation of the global economy.
