OpenAI projected $34 billion in spending on research and development, sales, and marketing in 2025. The figure, reported by the Financial Times, illustrates the sheer scale of investment OpenAI believes is necessary to stay ahead in the AI arms race.
The numbers behind the spending spree
OpenAI pulled in $13 billion in revenue during 2025, which actually beat its internal target of $10 billion. Total expenses hit roughly $8 billion, and R&D alone consumed $6.7 billion in just the first half of the year.
Microsoft holds a 27% ownership stake in OpenAI’s for-profit entity following the company’s structural overhaul.
The road to a trillion-dollar IPO
