OpenAI projects burning through $278 billion by 2030

OpenAI Sees Burning Through $278 Billion by 2030: FT

The Financial Times obtained OpenAI's internal projections shared with investors: cumulative cash burn will hit $278 billion by 2030, driven mostly by compute costs. The company expects to spend $44 billion in 2027 and $80 billion in 2030. Revenue is projected to reach $125 billion in 2030, but OpenAI won't turn free-cash-flow positive until 2029. A grain of salt: these are forward-looking fundraising numbers, not realized financials. The post doesn't break down how much of that revenue comes from agent products vs. API.

Why it matters: FT obtained OpenAI's fundraising materials with first-ever cash-flow projections through 2030 — hard numbers, authoritative source. Discounted slightly because these are forward-looking fundraising figures, not realized financials, and Bloomberg is a secondary relay.