High Development and Maintenance Costs for ChatGPT
CEO "Will Attract 130 Trillion Won Investment"
OpenAI, the US company behind the representative generative artificial intelligence (AI) 'ChatGPT,' has recorded operating losses worth hundreds of billions of won. This is due to the high costs of computer expenses and research and development (R&D) required for training and maintaining ChatGPT. However, founder and CEO Sam Altman is expected to accelerate AI development by attracting investments worth up to 130 trillion won in the future.
The US economic media outlet Business Insider reported on the 5th (local time) that OpenAI's net loss reached $540 million (approximately 710 billion won), about double compared to the previous year.
As a private company, OpenAI is not obligated to disclose financial information separately. However, the media stated that this figure was derived by compiling statements from three sources related to OpenAI.
OpenAI is the main player behind the generative AI craze. ChatGPT, developed by this company, surpassed 100 million monthly users just two months after its release. However, the costs of supercomputers for training ChatGPT, R&D expenses, and hiring additional research personnel appear to be enormous.
In this regard, Dylan Patel, an American semiconductor industry analyst, estimated that the daily maintenance cost for ChatGPT that OpenAI must bear is approximately $700,000 (about 925 million won). For example, the training of ChatGPT's successor AI model, 'GPT-4,' used 10,000 latest graphics processing units (GPUs), each costing more than $30,000 (about 42 million won).
However, CEO Altman seems unconcerned about OpenAI's cash burn rate. In an interview with a US media outlet on the 1st, he said, "(We will) be the most capital-intensive startup in Silicon Valley history," and repeatedly emphasized, "We will raise $100 billion (about 130 trillion won) within a few years to develop 'Artificial General Intelligence (AGI).'"
Moreover, as not only individual users but also various companies actively utilize ChatGPT, OpenAI's revenue is expected to grow rapidly. According to the media, OpenAI's revenue is projected to reach $200 million this year and surge to $1 billion next year.
Microsoft (MS) has partnered with OpenAI and plans to invest up to $10 billion (about 13 trillion won) over the coming years. In addition, investment bank Morgan Stanley and social networking service (SNS) Snap are also using ChatGPT.
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