OpenAI is in early talks to raise up to $40 billion in a massive funding round led by SoftBank that would value the artificial intelligence firm at $340 billion, according to a report. The funding round would nearly double the ChatGPT maker’s value in just a few months – a huge feat after raising $6.

The AI expert’s remarks come as OpenAI and other Silicon Valley giants face a reckoning following DeepSeek’s success.

Davos | San Francisco | SoftBank is in talks to invest as much as $US25 billion ($40 billion) into OpenAI, in a deal which would make it the ChatGPT maker’s biggest financial backer, as the pair partner on a massive new artificial intelligence infrastructure project.

SoftBank is in negotiations to invest between $15 billion and $25 billion directly into OpenAI, in addition to committing more than $15 billion to Stargate.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced Stargate, a $500 billion AI infrastructure project that's expected to provide 100,000 jobs and boost the American economy, but Elon Musk believes the three companies leading the project don't have the funds.

The effort was described as a $500 billion investment in artificial intelligence. Read how a small Texas city with a population of about 130,000 fits into the plans.

Masayoshi Son founded SoftBank in 1981. It has invested millions in some of Silicon Valley's biggest tech companies.

This is a massive head start, and cultural symmetry that seemed to make American AI predestined. Open AI is backed by a US$14 billion investment from Microsoft, and has access to the cloud infrastructure that powers its Large Language Model.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday is announcing investments worth up to $500 billion for infrastructure tied to artificial intelligence by a new partnership formed by OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank. The new entity,

Trump called the joint venture - known as Stargate - "a new American company that will invest $500 billion at least in AI infrastructure in the United States," promising that it will create more than 100,000 jobs. He made clear that the initiative is aimed at thwarting China and its AI efforts.

SoftBank is reportedly in talks to invest as much as $25 billion into OpenAI in a deal that would make it the artificial intelligence firm’s largest backer. The deal, which has not yet been finalized,