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TechCrunch AI · April 30, 2026 · Background

OpenAI cuts funding target to $20B amid tepid demand

OpenAI is scaling back its ambitions as investor appetite for massive AI infrastructure bets cools. The company has lowered its fundraising target from $30 billion to $20 billion, with only $11 billion secured so far against a valuation that has dropped from $1.4 trillion. This retreat signals a growing wariness among Wall Street investors regarding the capital intensity of the AI race, forcing even the most dominant players to adjust their financial expectations.

Sam Altman is pushing back against the local AI trend, arguing that hoarding DRAM in personal devices is a global waste during a severe supply crunch. He points out that consumer hardware sits idle most of the time, whereas cloud data centers achieve the high utilization rates needed to justify the billions invested by players like OpenAI and Stargate. This isn't just an opinion; it's a defense of the centralized infrastructure model against the growing open-source movement. The real-world impact is visible in the locked-up supply from Samsung and SK Hynix, which drives up costs for everyone else.