Recently, Barclays released a research report revealing a significant increase in OpenAI's computing power requirements. According to the report, as key technological breakthroughs occur, the capital expenditure cycle in the AI industry will continue and see a surge in computing power demand by 2027 to 2028.
OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman revealed that the company's actual revenue in 2025 was about 15% higher than its original internal forecast. Meanwhile, the expected revenue for 2027 has been raised from $60 billion to $90 billion, and it is anticipated that the company will achieve a $10 billion annual recurring revenue (ARR) goal one year earlier in 2027. These figures indicate that the commercialization of AI technology is accelerating, thereby reducing the risk of an industry bubble burst.
To meet the growing computing power needs, OpenAI plans to invest over $450 billion in computing operations between 2024 and 2030, with projected expenditures reaching a peak of $110 billion in 2028. To ensure stable computing power supply, OpenAI has signed ten-year computing power leasing contracts worth approximately $650 billion with tech companies such as Oracle and Microsoft.
In addition, OpenAI is actively developing next-generation technologies, including the GPT-6 large language model and the Sora3 video generation model. Especially the implementation of "recursive self-improvement" technology is expected to enable autonomous optimization and upgrades of AI models between 2027 and 2028. The development of this technology will significantly increase computing power demand, and OpenAI has already reserved about $43 billion in monetizable computing power funds to address potential surges in computing power demand.
With the growth in demand from companies like OpenAI, the total capacity of global AI data centers is expected to double between 2024 and 2030. OpenAI's rapid development also prompts competitors such as Google and Meta to increase their investments to catch up on technological advantages.
Overall, OpenAI's development is just a microcosm of the sustained capital expenditure cycle in the AI industry. Global semiconductor manufacturers are also actively expanding AI chip production, driving continuous growth in the entire industry.
Key Points:
- 🚀 OpenAI's computing power demand is expected to reach $110 billion in 2028, significantly higher than previous estimates.
- 💼 The company has signed $650 billion in computing power leasing contracts with Oracle and Microsoft to support its business expansion.
- 📈 Global AI data center capacity is expected to double between 2024 and 2030 to meet the growing demand for computing power.
