Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, is in the Middle East negotiating with investors for a funding round that could reach at least $50 billion. His discussions include several prominent state-backed funds from Abu Dhabi.

Anthropic is negotiating to raise $3-5 billion in a funding round led by Iconiq Capital, which would elevate its valuation to $170 billion. The AI startup has seen rapid valuation growth fueled by investor interest, despite previously hesitating to accept funds from Middle Eastern sources due to national security concerns. Recent discussions indicate a shift in this stance as competition in AI funding intensifies.