OpenAI to Explore Infrastructure Services to Boost Sales

OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar suggests the company could offer infrastructure services, allowing other companies to access data centers and physical infrastructure, similar to Amazon Web Services. This move could boost OpenAI's sales and provide a new revenue stream for the ChatGPT maker.

OpenAI, the company behind the popular ChatGPT, is considering a new revenue stream by offering infrastructure services to other businesses. OpenAI Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar hinted at this possibility in a recent interview, suggesting that the company could provide access to its data centers and physical infrastructure to other firms [1].

The idea is loosely inspired by Amazon.com Inc.'s success in renting out its spare cloud computing capacity. OpenAI currently focuses on securing computing capacity for its own operations, but Friar sees potential in this business model in the future. The company has gained expertise in designing and setting up data centers optimized for AI workloads and aims to capitalize on this know-how [1].

OpenAI has invested tens of billions of dollars in advanced chips and data centers to build and operate cutting-edge AI services. The company is also involved in a joint venture with SoftBank Group Corp. and Oracle Corp. called Stargate, which plans to build massive data centers in the US and abroad. However, even this ambitious project may not be enough to meet OpenAI's future needs, according to CEO Sam Altman, who expects the company to spend trillions of dollars on data center construction in the near future [1].

While OpenAI remains unprofitable, its revenue has been growing rapidly, reaching $1 billion in July 2025. The company has also been exploring other financing options, including debt financing from banks and private equity firms, to support its infrastructure initiatives. Friar noted that OpenAI is considering "novel ways" to finance its projects beyond debt [1].

The potential sale of stock for current and former employees at a valuation of about $500 billion is also in early talks. This would represent a significant increase from the company's previous valuation of $300 billion in a $40 billion financing round led by SoftBank [1].

Meanwhile, another AI company, Upstage, has announced a strategic collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to drive AI innovation. The collaboration includes co-selling efforts and a minority investment by Amazon in Upstage. Upstage will leverage AWS's machine learning infrastructure to scale its large language models and AI-powered document processing solutions [2].

References:
[1] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-08-20/openai-may-sell-infrastructure-services-to-other-firms-cfo-says
[2] https://www.marketscreener.com/news/amazon-com-upstage-and-aws-join-forces-to-drive-ai-innovation-in-apac-and-the-united-states-ce7c51ddda80fe24