Experts say Amazon is playing the long game with its potential $10 billion OpenAI deal: ‘ChatGPT is still seen as the Kleenex of AI’

Core Insights - Amazon is reportedly in discussions to invest at least $10 billion in OpenAI, potentially valuing the startup at over $500 billion [1] - The deal is seen as a necessity for both companies: OpenAI requires funding to manage its high burn rate, while Amazon seeks validation for its Trainium chips in a market dominated by Nvidia [2] - Analysts suggest that the negotiations resemble a framework rather than a traditional partnership, indicating OpenAI's ability to dictate terms in the AI economy [3] Financial Dynamics - OpenAI lacks the cash to fulfill its previously announced $38 billion cloud-spending commitment with Amazon, raising questions about the viability of the deal [5] - The investment is characterized as a financing scheme rather than conventional venture capital, with OpenAI expected to return the funds to Amazon for cloud services, effectively creating a circular financing arrangement [6] - This type of financing is becoming standard in the industry due to the immense capital required to train modern AI models, which traditional revenue models cannot yet support [7]