OpenAI, led by CEO Sam Altman, sits at the center of an AI investment bonanza. The staggering investments in artificial intelligence keep coming: Last week, AI chip giant Nvidia announced it would invest $100 billion to help OpenAI, the frontrunner in generative AI, build data centers. "There's no doubt among investors that AI is the major breakthrough technology" -- on par with harnessing electricity, said Denis Barrier, head of investment fund Cathay Innovation. From 2013 to 2024, private AI investment reached $470 billion in the United States -- nearly a quarter in the last year alone -- followed by superpower rival China's $119 billion, according to a Stanford University report. In March 2025, ChatGPT's parent company raised approximately $40 billion, bringing its estimated valuation to around $300 billion, according to analysts.