Observed Signal · Feb 19, 2026 · Funding · Source: techcrunch · Impact: 5/5 · Sentiment: Positive
OpenAI Nears $100B Deal, Valuation Soars Past $850B
OpenAI is reportedly close to securing more than $100 billion in new funding at a valuation that could exceed $850 billion, according to Bloomberg. The financing would come with a pre-money valuation of $730 billion and is said to include large tranches from Amazon (in talks for up to $50 billion), SoftBank (around $30 billion), Nvidia (near $20 billion) and Microsoft, with additional VC firms and sovereign wealth funds expected to close later. The round arrives as OpenAI continues to burn cash while approaching profitability; the company has begun testing ads in ChatGPT for free users as one path to revenue. TechCrunch reached out to OpenAI for comment.
A massive funding round for OpenAI could accelerate LLM product growth and commercialisation (including ad monetization in ChatGPT), creating new advertising inventory and competitive pressure across major platform ecosystems.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- OpenAI is reportedly finalizing a funding deal to raise more than $100 billion at a valuation that could exceed $850 billion.
- Bloomberg sources say OpenAI's pre-money valuation will remain at $730 billion.
- Reported early investors include Amazon (in talks to invest up to $50 billion), SoftBank (≈$30 billion), Nvidia (≈$20 billion) and Microsoft; additional VCs and sovereign wealth funds expected later.
- OpenAI has begun testing ads in ChatGPT for free users as part of efforts to increase revenue while moving toward profitability.
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OpenAI Raises $122B at $852B Valuation
OpenAI closed a $122 billion funding round at an $852 billion post‑money valuation, its largest to date, as it prepares for an expected IPO. The round was co‑led by SoftBank with participation from Andreessen Horowitz, D.E. Shaw Ventures, MGX, TPG and T. Rowe Price Associates, and included strategic participation from Amazon, Nvidia and Microsoft. About $3 billion of the round came from individual (retail) investors via bank channels, and ARK Invest plans to include OpenAI in several ETFs to broaden access. OpenAI also expanded an undrawn revolving credit facility to roughly $4.7 billion. The company reported running metrics—about $2 billion monthly revenue, 900 million weekly active users, 50 million subscribers—and said its ads pilot generated more than $100 million annualized in under six weeks. OpenAI highlighted business revenue growth (now ~40% of total) and product advances including its GPT-5.4 model while positioning the raise as part of an IPO narrative.
Amazon, SoftBank, Nvidia Commit $110B to OpenAI
OpenAI closed a massive private funding round that initially totaled $110 billion, with Amazon committing $50 billion, and SoftBank and Nvidia each committing $30 billion; the round implied a pre-money valuation of $730 billion and a post-money valuation of $840 billion. Amazon's $50 billion includes a $35 billion contingent tranche tied to an IPO or an AGI milestone, leaving roughly $15 billion immediate. Additional investors (MGX, Coatue, Thrive) reportedly later pushed committed capital past $122 billion at an $852 billion post-money valuation. The deal secures large-scale compute and distribution leverage—notably priority access to OpenAI models on AWS—which the article argues will first improve ChatGPT's reliability, accelerate model-release cadence, and expand enterprise integrations, while influencing pricing and competitive dynamics over 6–24 months.
OpenAI Secures $110B in Historic Funding Round
OpenAI announced a $110 billion private funding round led by a $50 billion investment from Amazon and $30 billion investments each from Nvidia and SoftBank, at a $730 billion pre-money valuation. The round remains open and OpenAI expects additional investors. The deal includes major infrastructure partnerships: OpenAI will run models in a new "stateful runtime environment" on Amazon Bedrock, expand its AWS compute commitment by $100 billion (building on a prior $38 billion commitment) and consume at least 2GW of AWS Trainium. Nvidia committed capacity including 3GW of dedicated inference and 2GW of training on Vera Rubin systems. OpenAI said portions of the investment may be provided as services rather than cash. The company’s prior round closed in March 2025 ($40 billion at a $300 billion valuation).
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