Sam Altman’s OpenAI expects to pull in $12.7 billion in revenue by the end of 2025, according to Bloomberg. That’s more than three times what it made last year—$3.7 billion.
The company believes this surge will come straight from its growing list of paid artificial intelligence tools, which now include everything from standard consumer subscriptions to expensive enterprise packages.
OpenAI projects even more aggressive numbers for 2026, aiming to hit $29.4 billion in revenue, Bloomberg reported. But the company wouldn’t confirm or deny anything when asked for comment.
The New York Times had earlier reported that OpenAI was targeting $11.6 billion for 2025. This new projection shows a jump even from that.
OpenAI introduces a $200 plan and plans for more expensive AI tools
Since launching ChatGPT a little over two years ago, OpenAI has rolled out several paid options. In September, the company said it had 1 million corporate subscribers using its business-facing versions of ChatGPT. Recently, it added ChatGPT Pro, a new subscription tier that costs $200 a month and gives users access to its most advanced models.
Now the company is thinking about offering AI tools that cost thousands per month, though it hasn’t announced which products will fall under that price tag. These aren’t basic plans. OpenAI is clearly going after deep-pocketed clients—likely large enterprises looking for high-performance AI systems that go beyond standard chatbot functions.
Even with fast-rising revenue, OpenAI is still dealing with major expenses. Running large-scale AI systems costs money. A lot of it. The company is spending heavily on custom chips, large-scale data centers, and specialized talent. Despite bringing in billions, OpenAI doesn’t expect to be cash-flow positive until 2029. That same year, the company estimates its revenue will top $125 billion, according to Bloomberg.
To keep pushing, OpenAI is trying to raise a $40 billion funding round, with SoftBank Group Corp. leading the discussions. If the round closes, it would bring the company’s valuation up to $300 billion. Bloomberg also reported that OpenAI has been speaking with U.S. regulators about switching from its current nonprofit setup to a for-profit public benefit corporation. That move would let it operate more like a normal business while still sticking to a public-benefit mission on paper.
U.S. adds Chinese AI firms to blacklist over national security
While OpenAI tries to expand its reach, the U.S. government is cracking down hard on China’s artificial intelligence sector. On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security added 80 new organizations to its export blacklist, including over 50 Chinese companies. The move blocks U.S. firms from selling products to those entities without a government-issued license.
The blacklist is part of the Trump administration’s ongoing push to limit China’s access to American AI and advanced computing technology. The Commerce Department said these companies were acting “contrary to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests.” The new additions are being accused of helping develop supercomputers, military-use AI systems, and quantum computing technologies for the Chinese government.
Among the named companies were firms tied to Huawei and its chipmaking division, HiSilicon, both already under sanctions. The U.S. government specifically targeted 27 organizations for buying American-made products to support China’s military modernization, and 7 more were accused of advancing the country’s quantum computing programs.
Six subsidiaries of Inspur Group, a cloud computing firm previously blacklisted by the Biden administration in 2023, also made the list. The blacklist follows a growing concern inside the U.S. about how China has continued to get access to strategic American technologies, even after past sanctions.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded late Wednesday. It said it “strongly condemns” the restrictions and asked Washington to “stop generalizing national security,” according to Reuters.
Alex Capri, a senior lecturer at the National University of Singapore and author of Techno-Nationalism: How It’s Reshaping Trade, Geopolitics and Society, said the blacklist now extends beyond just companies in China. Capri explained that the restrictions now target third countries, small transit hubs, and intermediaries being used to bypass export rules. He said, “Chinese firms have managed to gain access to U.S. strategic dual-use technologies via certain third parties,” referring to loopholes that still exist.
Capri added that Nvidia and AMD chips have been smuggled through these channels. He warned that U.S. officials are expected to ramp up surveillance and tracing operations focused on cutting off the supply of advanced American semiconductors.
The Trump administration’s latest blacklist comes as tensions with Beijing keep escalating. Tariffs are back on the table, and tech is now ground zero in the trade fight. One new player in the mix is DeepSeek, a Chinese AI startup that’s gained serious traction with open-source, low-cost AI models. These cheaper alternatives are growing fast in China and putting pricing pressure on high-cost, proprietary models like the ones OpenAI offers.
The Biden administration, before leaving office, had already kicked off export controls under its “small yard, high fence” approach. The strategy was designed to restrict only a small group of high-risk technologies, like AI and supercomputing, while leaving regular trade alone. That policy is now being extended under Trump, but with more aggressive enforcement.
Jeffrey Kessler, Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security, said on Tuesday that the administration is “sending a clear, resounding message” that it won’t allow U.S. tech to be “misused for high performance computing, hypersonic missiles, military aircraft training, and UAVs that threaten our national security.” Kessler said, “The entity list is one of many powerful tools at our disposal to identify and cut off foreign adversaries seeking to exploit American technology for malign purposes.”
The war over AI isn’t just about chips or data. It’s about control. On one side, you have OpenAI, scaling its U.S.-based paid services to billions in revenue and trying to turn into a giant. On the other side, the U.S. is trying to choke off China’s military AI growth by making sure its firms can’t touch American hardware.
That battle just hit another level.
Cryptopolitan Academy: Coming Soon - A New Way to Earn Passive Income with DeFi in 2025. Learn More
