Amazon is negotiating what could become one of the largest AI investments in history - a potential $50 billion stake in OpenAI, according to a source familiar with the talks confirmed by CNBC. The deal represents a dramatic escalation in the AI infrastructure wars, with Amazon CEO Andy Jassy and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman hammering out terms directly. It's a surprising move given Amazon's existing multi-billion dollar bet on OpenAI competitor Anthropic, and it signals just how serious the cloud computing giants are about securing access to cutting-edge AI models.
Amazon is about to make one of the biggest bets in AI history. The e-commerce and cloud computing giant is negotiating an investment of up to $50 billion in OpenAI, with CEO Andy Jassy personally leading discussions with Sam Altman, according to a source familiar with the matter who spoke to CNBC.
The sheer scale of the potential deal is staggering, even by Big Tech standards. It would represent one of the largest single investments in an AI company and could value OpenAI at unprecedented levels. The Wall Street Journal first broke the $50 billion figure, though sources caution the final number remains fluid as negotiations continue.
What makes this particularly intriguing is Amazon's existing relationship with Anthropic, OpenAI's primary rival. Since 2023, Amazon has poured billions into Anthropic, which was founded by former OpenAI executives who split from Altman's organization. Anthropic just closed a massive funding round at a $350 billion valuation earlier this month, with Amazon as a key backer.
Now Amazon appears to be hedging its bets - or maybe just refusing to be left out of any major AI development. The talks have been ongoing since , and a term sheet could be signed within weeks, according to the source. An Amazon representative declined to comment on the negotiations.
