OpenAI revenue tops $20 billion as computing capacity triples

OpenAI’s annualised revenue has crossed $20 billion in 2025, more than tripling from $6 billion a year earlier, according to Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar.

In a blog post, Friar said the sharp revenue growth has closely tracked a rapid expansion in the company’s computing capacity. OpenAI’s compute resources rose to 1.9 gigawatts in 2025 from 0.6 gigawatts in 2024, reflecting the heavy infrastructure demands of large-scale artificial intelligence systems.

Friar added that the Microsoft-backed company continues to see record levels of engagement, with weekly and daily active user numbers reaching new highs.

The update comes as OpenAI intensifies efforts to build sustainable revenue streams. Last week, the company announced plans to begin testing advertisements in ChatGPT for a limited group of users in the United States, a move aimed at helping fund the significant costs of developing and operating AI technology.

Separately, Axios reported on Monday that OpenAI policy chief Chris Lehane said the company is “on track” to unveil its first consumer hardware device in the second half of 2026, signalling ambitions beyond software and cloud-based tools.

Friar said OpenAI’s platform now spans text, images, voice, code and APIs, and that the next phase of development will focus on AI agents and workflow automation systems capable of operating continuously, retaining context over time and taking actions across multiple tools.

Looking ahead to 2026, she said the company will prioritise “practical adoption,” particularly in sectors such as health, science and enterprise applications.

The CFO also emphasised that OpenAI is maintaining a “light” balance sheet by partnering with infrastructure providers rather than owning hardware outright. The company is structuring contracts to remain flexible across different suppliers and computing platforms, she said.

The comments underline how rapidly OpenAI is scaling as demand for generative AI tools grows, even as the company seeks new ways to monetise its services and manage rising operational costs.