Abu Dhabi’s artificial intelligence investment platform MGX has joined a $6.6 billion secondary share sale in OpenAI, marking one of the largest private AI transactions of 2025 and valuing the ChatGPT maker at around $500 billion, according to Reuters.
The deal allows OpenAI’s employees and early investors to liquidate part of their holdings but does not inject new capital into the company. The round was led by existing institutional investors — including Thrive Capital, SoftBank, Dragoneer, T. Rowe Price, and now MGX, the emirate’s sovereign-backed vehicle focused on AI investments.
Strategic Alignment
OpenAI operates under a capped-profit structure and has been actively exploring mechanisms to provide liquidity for shareholders while funding major initiatives in infrastructure and model training.
MGX’s participation represents a significant strategic foothold in the global AI value chain and underscores Abu Dhabi’s ambition to position itself as a global AI capital. The investment builds on earlier collaborations between Abu Dhabi’s G42 and global tech giants such as Microsoft and Cerebras.
About MGX’s Ambitions
Established in 2024 by G42 and Mubadala Investment Company, MGX was created to consolidate the emirate’s AI investments and attract international technology partnerships. The firm is reportedly exploring fundraising plans of up to $25 billion, aimed at deploying capital into AI infrastructure, model training, and semiconductor projects.
Earlier this year, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman held preliminary discussions in Abu Dhabi regarding potential partnerships with MGX. Although talks paused in February, the secondary purchase now signals a renewed alignment between the two sides.
Valuation and Long-Term Vision
The transaction values OpenAI at roughly 25 times its projected 2025 revenue, reflecting sustained investor confidence in its commercial trajectory. However, the $500 billion valuation stems from secondary-market demand rather than a new primary issuance.
For OpenAI, the sale helps retain and reward employees ahead of major funding rounds and projects such as “Stargate,” the multibillion-dollar supercomputing initiative developed alongside SoftBank and Oracle.
For MGX, the investment serves as both a strategic anchor and a statement of intent, aligning with Abu Dhabi’s long-term strategy to gain exposure to frontier technologies — prioritizing ecosystem leadership over short-term financial returns.
As MGX scales its fund and deepens ties with leading AI ventures, its stake in OpenAI could set a benchmark for regional investors seeking entry into the sector’s upper tier.
