ChatGPT maker OpenAI is reportedly on course to bag a US$340 billion valuation through a US$40 billion funding round led by SoftBank.
Discussions were in the early stages and could still fall through, according to a Wall Street Journal-cited source.
Were OpenAI to secure the funds, its valuation would more than double from the US$157 billion seen after it raised US$6.6 billion in October.
Previous reports had said Japan’s SoftBank was set to spearhead the funding with an investment of between US$15 billion and US$25 billion.
SoftBank would surpass Microsoft Corp as OpenAI’s largest investor as a result, with the latest funding set to support commitments to Donald Trump’s US$500 billion AI infrastructure Stargate Project.