Sam Altman Reveals OpenAI’s Expanding Deal Strategy Beyond Recent Partnerships

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has entered a new phase of aggressive dealmaking, cementing the company’s dominance in the AI race through a series of massive infrastructure partnerships. In a week marked by high-stakes announcements, Altman revealed that OpenAI is not only expanding its compute capabilities but also reshaping how AI companies secure the resources needed to scale. The most notable development was a landmark deal with AMD, under which OpenAI will receive up to 10% of AMD’s stock over time in exchange for using and co-developing AMD’s next-generation AI GPUs. This marks a rare instance of an AI startup becoming a major shareholder in a chipmaker—reversing traditional supply dynamics. The move follows OpenAI’s earlier $100 billion investment deal with Nvidia, where Nvidia effectively underwrote OpenAI’s infrastructure needs in exchange for equity. While Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang admitted he was surprised by the AMD deal, he acknowledged that OpenAI’s scale now demands a new model of collaboration. OpenAI is no longer just a consumer of AI hardware—it’s becoming a strategic partner and investor in the companies that power it. Altman described these deals as a “very aggressive infrastructure bet,” driven by the belief that OpenAI’s future models will unlock immense economic value. He told the a16z Podcast that the company now sees vertical integration—controlling more of its supply chain—as essential, despite previously opposing it. “I think I was just wrong about that,” he admitted, noting that the complexity of building AI at this scale requires OpenAI to do more than just focus on model development. These partnerships are not just about hardware. OpenAI has committed to 10 gigawatts of U.S. data center capacity through its $500 billion Stargate deal with Oracle and SoftBank, plus a $300 billion cloud agreement with Oracle. Additional deals include a UK-based expansion and European infrastructure plans. Combined, these commitments amount to roughly $1 trillion in infrastructure investments in 2025 alone. Critics have labeled the deals “circular” or self-funding, arguing that Nvidia and AMD are effectively subsidizing OpenAI’s growth by exchanging equity for future sales. Yet Altman insists the strategy makes long-term sense. He emphasized that OpenAI’s revenue—reportedly $4.3 billion in the first half of 2025—will eventually cover these investments. Though the company posted a $13.5 billion net loss, Altman remains confident in the economic upside of future AI models. He also revealed that OpenAI is preparing to help other companies finance similar infrastructure at scale, even before they generate revenue. “We are working on plans to be able to help with the financing these companies need at this kind of scale ahead of revenue,” he said. With 800 million weekly active users on ChatGPT, OpenAI is the clear leader in generative AI. Altman’s message is clear: the company is not slowing down. “You should expect much more from us in the coming months,” he said. As OpenAI evolves from a model developer into a full-stack AI infrastructure powerhouse, its partnerships are setting a new precedent for how AI companies grow—and how the tech industry itself may be restructured.