Amazon is in early-stage talks to invest tens of billions of dollars in OpenAI, with the figure potentially reaching as high as $50 billion, according to a source familiar with the discussions. If completed, the deal would rank among the largest single investments ever made in an artificial intelligence company.
The talks are still preliminary and the final amount has not been determined, the source said. Amazon declined to comment, while OpenAI did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Wall Street Journal previously reported that Amazon Chief Executive Officer Andy Jassy is leading negotiations with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
The potential investment comes as major technology companies and global investors race to strengthen ties with OpenAI, which is spending aggressively on data centers and computing infrastructure. As reported earlier, OpenAI is seeking to raise up to $100 billion in funding, a round that could value the company at about $830 billion. The startup is also laying the groundwork for a future initial public offering that could value it at up to $1 trillion, according to separate reporting.
Big Tech Scramble for AI Exposure
SoftBank Group is among the investors in talks with OpenAI and is discussing a potential investment of up to an additional $30 billion, reported. Nvidia, Amazon, and Microsoft are also exploring participation in the fundraising round. Nvidia is said to be considering an investment of up to $30 billion, while Microsoft, a long-standing OpenAI partner, is in talks to invest less than $10 billion.
An Amazon investment of up to $50 billion would make it the largest contributor to the current round, surpassing other potential backers. The move would deepen Amazon’s exposure to generative AI at a time when competition among cloud providers and model developers is intensifying.
OpenAI has been expanding its computing partnerships to support the growing demand for its models. Earlier this month, the company signed a $10 billion computing deal with Cerebras, a challenger to Nvidia in AI hardware. The startup’s rapid infrastructure build-out has made access to capital a strategic priority.
Strategic Tensions and Portfolio Overlap
Amazon already has a significant stake in Anthropic, a direct rival to OpenAI. The company has invested about $8 billion in the startup, which was recently valued at $183 billion. Anthropic has gained traction among enterprise customers and has forecast that its annualized revenue run rate could more than double, and potentially nearly triple, to around $26 billion in 2026.
The parallel involvement in both OpenAI and Anthropic underscores Amazon’s strategy of maintaining broad exposure across the AI ecosystem rather than backing a single model provider. Amazon Web Services has positioned itself as a neutral infrastructure layer for competing AI developers, while also seeking to benefit financially from their growth.
If the talks result in a deal, Amazon’s investment would further reshape the balance of power among OpenAI’s backers, reinforcing the role of Big Tech companies as both customers and financiers of the world’s most influential AI developers.
