OpenAI plans to spend roughly $50 billion on computing power in 2026, disclosed by co-founder and president during cross‑examination in Elon Musk’s lawsuit against the company.

Compute costs at OpenAI have grown from about $30 million in 2017 to tens of billions this year, underscoring the scale of infrastructure needs for frontier AI.

OpenAI has signaled massive long‑term investments in AI infrastructure, with commitments reportedly exceeding $1.4 trillion and potential spending around $600 billion by 2030, highlighting ongoing capital requirements.

The report notes platform terms and copyright notices from Fusion Media, providing sourcing context but not altering the core news item.

The disclosure emerged during cross‑examination and is framed as a financial reality of frontier AI, not a promotional claim.

The Reuters piece places the Musk lawsuit in context and provides background on OpenAI’s founding and evolving financial model.

The broader AI competition context includes rivals like Anthropic and Google, and Musk’s own involvement through xAI.

OpenAI had requested comment, but no response was published at the time.

Musk argues most value sits in OpenAI’s for‑profit arm, while OpenAI says the non‑profit core still controls the company and that a for‑profit structure was needed to fund large investments.

Industry investments in OpenAI often hinge on backers’ compute leasing terms, effectively acting as discounts or rebates rather than direct financing.

OpenAI has not yet shown a clear path to profitability despite investments from Microsoft, Amazon, SoftBank, Nvidia and others.

Future scenarios include continued doubling of compute spending, potential AGI‑driven returns, possible Microsoft absorption, or a funding lull that could create an existential risk.