In the latest lengthy statement, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman clarified the controversy over government loan guarantees and disclosed two key pieces of information about the company: selling computing power directly to companies and individuals; annualized revenue is expected to exceed US$20 billion this year, and data center investment commitments in the next eight years will reach approximately US$1.4 trillion.
On November 6, local time, Altman issued a long statement on the social platform Altman made it clear,OpenAI does not seek or hope to obtain government guarantees for data center construction, emphasizing that the government should not pick winners or losers, and taxpayers should not pay for the company's business decisions.
While dealing with this public relations crisis, Altman also rarely revealed two key pieces of information:OpenAI plans to sell computing power directly to other companies and individuals, believing that global demand for "AI clouds" will increase significantly.Annualized revenue is expected to exceed US$20 billion this year, and revenue will grow to hundreds of billions of US dollars by 2030. Data center investment commitments in the next eight years will reach approximately US$1.4 trillion.
As for funding sources, Altman said the company may meet demand through traditional means, including selling more equity or taking out more loans.He emphasized that for OpenAI, the greater risk is insufficient computing power rather than excess.
Rarely reveals two key pieces of information
Altman made it clear in his statement:
"We expect annualized revenue to exceed $20 billion this year and grow to hundreds of billions by 2030. We are looking at approximately $1.4 trillion in commitments over the next eight years."
This is the first time OpenAI has publicly disclosed such specific long-term financial goals and capital expenditure plans. Since 2025, OpenAI has been signing multi-billion-dollar data center agreements almost every month. This announcement consolidates these disparate transactions into an overall number for the first time.
Altman emphasized that continued growth is critical to the company, but he is confident about it. He noted that current trends show computing needs far beyond what existing programs can cover.
Altman revealed a bold business plan: OpenAI will sell computing power directly to other companies and individuals.
"We are looking at ways to sell computing power more directly to other companies and individuals. We are very convinced that the world is going to need a lot of 'AI clouds,' and we are excited to provide this service."
The analysis points out that this is a radical idea for a company that does not yet have its own data center network. The plan means that OpenAI will not only build the infrastructure to meet its own needs, but also have the ability to provide cloud services to external customers, which will allow it to directly compete with cloud computing giants such as Amazon, Microsoft and Google.
Altman pointed out in the statement that global demand for AI cloud is expected to surge significantly, which provides an opportunity for OpenAI to enter this market."Based on the trend and demand for AI use by users, the main risk faced by the company is insufficient computing power, not excess."
Government role and market positioning
In response to external doubts about OpenAI seeking government support, Altman first clarified in the statement:OpenAI does not want government guarantees for data center construction.He stressed that the government should not choose winners or losers, and taxpayers should not bail out companies that make bad business decisions or fail in the market.
Altman admitted that OpenAI's CFO's comments yesterday about government financing caused misunderstandings, and she later clarified that she could have been more clear. He reiterated that OpenAI believes that the U.S. government should develop a national strategy for its own artificial intelligence infrastructure instead of providing guarantees for private companies.
Altman expressed support for the government to build and own its own artificial intelligence infrastructure, but only if the relevant profits should belong to the government. He thinks it makes sense to establish a strategic national reserve of computing power, where the government can decide how to use large amounts of computing power and potentially support such projects at lower capital costs. But this should be to serve government interests, not private enterprise.
The only area where loan guarantees have been discussed is to support the construction of U.S. semiconductor manufacturing plants.Altman emphasized that this is fundamentally different from the government providing guarantees for the construction of private data centers.
Regarding the discussion of government as the "insurer of last resort" for artificial intelligence, Altman clarified that this is in a completely different context. His previous discussion with Tyler Cowen was catastrophic risks—such as malicious actors using artificial intelligence to coordinate large-scale cyberattacks that damage critical infrastructure—the kind of large-scale harm that only governments can deal with. He made it clear that the government should not underwrite policies for AI companies.
In response to questions about whether OpenAI is trying to become "too big to fail",Altman gave a clear negative answer.He said if a company messes up and can't fix the problem, it should go out of business and other companies will continue to do their work and serve customers.
The full text and translation of Altman’s original post are as follows:
