OpenAI's Massive Compute Expansion Fuels Revenue Surge
OpenAI has disclosed staggering growth figures that reveal a direct correlation between computing power and financial performance. The artificial intelligence leader announced its computing capacity has expanded 9.5 times over the past three years, while annual revenue skyrocketed ten-fold during the same period.
Unprecedented Growth Numbers
According to OpenAI Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar, the company's computing capacity jumped from 0.2 gigawatts in 2023 to approximately 1.9 gigawatts in 2025. This massive infrastructure expansion coincided with revenue climbing from $2 billion to more than $20 billion annually.
Friar shared these figures in a detailed blog post that explicitly connects compute growth with revenue generation. She emphasized that increased computing capacity directly enables faster customer adoption and improved monetization of AI products.
Strategic Focus for 2026
The company outlined its 2026 strategy with a clear emphasis on practical adoption. "Our priority is closing the gap between what AI now makes possible and how people, companies, and countries are using it day to day," Friar wrote. She identified significant opportunities in health, science, and enterprise sectors where better intelligence translates directly into better outcomes.
OpenAI plans to drive monetization of ChatGPT alongside other AI products and services while securing the necessary compute and technical infrastructure to scale these offerings effectively.
Industry-Wide Compute Scramble
OpenAI's revelations come amid intense industry scrutiny of massive investments in data centers and energy infrastructure to power advanced AI models. The company is not alone in this compute race. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently announced plans to build tens of gigawatts this decade, with ambitions reaching hundreds of gigawatts over time.
Friar acknowledged the timing challenges, stating, "I have to make decisions today about making sure we have compute, not even in '26 or '27, but '28, '29, and '30. Because if I don't put in orders today and don't give the signal to create data centers, it won't be there."
Major Infrastructure Deals
OpenAI has secured several high-value compute agreements to support its expansion. In September 2025, Nvidia committed $100 billion to help OpenAI build and deploy at least 10 gigawatts of the chipmaker's systems. More recently, OpenAI signed another computing power deal worth over $10 billion with Cerebras to power ChatGPT and other AI products.
According to reports, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman aims to expand the company's computing capacity to 250 gigawatts by 2033. To understand the scale, one gigawatt roughly equals the annual power consumption of seven to ten lakh Indian homes, depending on location and energy factors.
Advertising Experiments and User Experience
OpenAI recently began testing advertisements within ChatGPT in the United States, marking a significant shift for the popular AI platform that boasts over 800 million weekly active users. While currently on a trial basis, this move demonstrates how advertising remains a lucrative revenue model even in the AI era.
Fidji Simo, OpenAI's CEO of Applications, has assured users that the company will not optimize for time spent in ChatGPT and will continue prioritizing user trust and experience over revenue generation.
Compute as the Defining Resource
Friar emphasized the critical importance of compute in today's AI landscape. "Compute is the scarcest resource in AI," she wrote. "Three years ago, we relied on a single compute provider. Today, we are working with providers across a diversified ecosystem. That shift gives us resilience and, critically, compute certainty."
She added that access to compute now defines which companies can successfully scale their AI operations, making early infrastructure commitments essential for long-term growth and competitiveness in the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence sector.
