Markets

OpenAI has secured $8.3 billion in funding, pushing its valuation past $300 billion. Dragoneer Investment Group led the round with a $2.8 billion investment. OpenAI’s annual recurring revenue (ARR) has surged to $13 billion and is projected to exceed $20 billion by year-end, with paying users reaching 5 million. This funding round occurs as OpenAI seeks to transition to a for-profit entity while negotiating with Microsoft. The investment solidifies OpenAI’s position and supports its future expansion, and a potential IPO.

Professor Wang Yousheng, a prominent figure in power electronics and control equipment at Zhejiang University and a founding father of China’s power electronics discipline, passed away at 97. Elected to the Chinese Academy of Engineering in 1994, Wang co-developed dual water internal cooling technology for electric motors and pioneered core technologies for high-power induction heating power supplies. He established China’s first power electronics program and received numerous national awards for his substantial contributions to electrical engineering and industrial development.

Canon will begin operations at its expanded lithography equipment factory in Utsunomiya, Japan, this September, its first expansion in 21 years. Aimed at capturing AI-driven semiconductor demand and challenging ASML, Canon invested $345M in the facility and it will use both UV and nanoimprint lithography (NIL). NIL offers cost and energy savings. Production is projected to reach full capacity by 2027, increasing Canon’s total annual output by 30%. Canon hopes NIL will give it a foothold amidst rapid growth in the AI infrastructure market.