Reuters: "OpenAI achieves annual revenue of ₩16 trillion"… Growth doubles in a year

Annual Recurring Revenue of $12 billion

Last year’s ARR was $5.5 billion

OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, has recorded an annual recurring revenue (ARR) of $12 billion (approximately ₩16.7 trillion) as of July this year.

Reuters reported this information on the 30th (local time), citing IT media outlet The Information. This means OpenAI is generating $1 billion in monthly revenue. ARR is the revenue a company expects to generate through subscription contracts over a 12-month period.

It is used as a key indicator to show annual revenue size in subscription-based businesses. The Information reported that ChatGPT, launched at the end of 2022, currently has about 700 million weekly active users.

Previously, US broadcaster CNBC reported in early June that OpenAI’s ARR had surpassed $10 billion (about ₩13.9 trillion). OpenAI confirmed that this report was accurate.

Last year, OpenAI’s ARR was about $5.5 billion. This means that it nearly doubled its revenue in just one year.

The Information also reported that OpenAI expects cash outflow this year to be about $8 billion (about ₩11.1 trillion), which is $1 billion higher than the forecast at the beginning of the year.

To this end, OpenAI is currently conducting its second round of fundraising, targeting $3 billion. According to The Information, apart from Japan’s SoftBank, other investors are in the final stages of committing to a total investment of $7.5 billion.

Su-bin Park, Hankyung.com reporter waterbean@hankyung.com