Bloomberg Says OpenAI Sees Annualized Revenue Reaching $70 Billion by Year-End

At $50 billion as of late September

Could reach $70 billion by year-end

'Enterprise AI growth accelerating'

OpenAI's annualized revenue stood at about $50 billion at the end of last month, roughly $20 billion below market expectations, but a new analysis says the company could reach $70 billion by year-end.

Bloomberg reported on October 9 that OpenAI recently told investors it expects annualized revenue to reach or exceed $70 billion by the end of this year. The company's annualized revenue was about $50 billion at the end of September, but growth in its enterprise AI business could lift that figure by year-end.

Annualized revenue is a metric that estimates full-year sales based on revenue generated over a specific period. The $50 billion figure for the end of September and the $70 billion figure for year-end are not finalized annual revenue totals. They are annualized run-rate estimates based on revenue trends during those periods. The year-end target of $70 billion is $20 billion, or about 40%, higher than the level at the end of September.

OpenAI is reported to have shared those figures with investors during ongoing fundraising talks.

Earlier, the Financial Times reported on October 8 that OpenAI's annualized revenue was about $50 billion as of the end of September. The market reaction highlighted a $20 billion gap from prior expectations. The FT said the discrepancy stemmed from OpenAI investors trying to calculate the company's annualized revenue using the same method applied to Anthropic.

Confusion around the revenue figures also rippled through U.S. markets that day. The Nasdaq 100 Index fell 1.4%, while the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index dropped 3.4%.

Attention is now turning to whether OpenAI can meet its $70 billion annualized revenue target by year-end by expanding its enterprise AI business.

Hwang Jung-soo, New York correspondent, Korea Economic Daily hjs@hankyung.com