Jan 19 (Reuters) – OpenAI (OPAI.PVT) Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar said in a blog post on Sunday that the company’s annualized revenue exceeded $20 billion in 2025, up from $6 billion in 2024, and that growth closely follows the expansion of computing capacity.
OpenAI’s computing capacity increased to 1.9 gigawatts (GW) in 2025 from 0.6 GW in 2024, Friar said in the blog, adding that Microsoft-backed OpenAI’s (MSFT) weekly and daily active user numbers continue to produce all-time highs.
OpenAI said last week it would begin showing ads on ChatGPT to some US users, stepping up efforts to generate revenue from the AI chatbot to fund the technology’s high development costs.
Separately, Axios reported on Monday that OpenAI policy chief Chris Lehane said the company is “on track” to unveil its first device in the second half of 2026.
Friar said OpenAI’s platform spans text, images, voice, code and APIs, and the next phase will focus on agents and workflow automation that run continuously, transmit context over time and take action through tools.
By 2026, the company will “prioritize “practical adoption,” particularly in health, science and business, he said.
Friar said the company keeps a “light” balance sheet by partnering rather than owning and structuring contracts with flexibility between vendors and hardware types.
(Reporting by Katha Kalia in Bengaluru; Editing by Andrea Ricci)