Microsoft, OpenAI sign deal for OpenAI’s for-profit restructuring

Microsoft and OpenAI announced Thursday a non-binding deal outlining terms that would allow OpenAI to restructure into a for-profit company, marking a key step in the high-profile partnership fueling ChatGPT’s growth.

The new commercial arrangements, details of which were not disclosed, are intended to finalize a definitive agreement enabling OpenAI to raise capital under a more conventional governance structure and eventually go public to fund artificial intelligence development.

Microsoft previously invested $1 billion in OpenAI in 2019 and $10 billion at the start of 2023. Under prior agreements, Microsoft had exclusive rights to sell OpenAI software via Azure and preferred access to its technology. The company was once OpenAI’s sole compute provider but relaxed its role this year, allowing OpenAI to pursue its own data center project, Stargate, and sign multi-billion-dollar cloud deals with Oracle and Google.

As OpenAI’s revenue grows into the billions, it seeks partnerships with additional cloud providers to expand sales and secure computing capacity. Microsoft, meanwhile, wants continued access to OpenAI’s technology even if its models reach humanlike intelligence, a milestone that could end the current partnership under previous terms.

OpenAI’s nonprofit arm is expected to receive over $100 billion, about 20 percent of the $500 billion valuation the company seeks in private markets, making it one of the best-funded nonprofits globally, according to Bret Taylor, chairman of OpenAI’s nonprofit board. The companies did not disclose Microsoft’s ownership stake or whether it would retain exclusive access to OpenAI’s newest models.

Regulatory approval is still required from attorneys general in California and Delaware. OpenAI hopes to complete the conversion by year-end to secure billions in funding tied to the timeline.

The two companies compete across products ranging from consumer chatbots to AI tools for businesses, while Microsoft continues developing its own AI models to reduce reliance on OpenAI technology.

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