How Much OpenAI Spends on Inference and Its Revenue Share with Microsoft
10 days ago
- #Microsoft
- #OpenAI
- #Generative AI
- OpenAI's inference costs on Microsoft Azure were $5.02 billion in the first half of CY2025, doubling from $3.76 billion in CY2024.
- Microsoft receives 20% of OpenAI's revenue, but discrepancies exist between reported revenues and those implied by revenue share payments.
- OpenAI's total inference spend from CY2024 to Q3 CY2025 was $12.43 billion, far exceeding previous reports of $2 billion in 2024 and $2.5 billion in H1 CY2025.
- Sam Altman claims OpenAI's revenue is 'well more' than $13 billion, but documents suggest lower figures, raising questions about financial reporting.
- OpenAI's high inference costs may indicate unsustainable financials for generative AI companies, with potential need for price increases.