OpenAI's confidential IPO documents revealed: zero liabilities on the books, off-balance-sheet computing power and infrastructure commitments amounting to $665 billion

According to a report by The Information, the confidential IPO registration draft submitted by OpenAI shows that as of the end of March 2026, OpenAI's balance sheet exhibits "light asset" characteristics, with zero debt on the books and capital expenditures of only $46 million in the first quarter. However, in reality, the company has placed substantial infrastructure expenditures off the books, with future procurement commitments in chips, energy, and data centers reaching up to $665 billion. Financial data indicates that OpenAI's actual net loss in the first quarter was approximately $8.5 billion, with revenue costs amounting to $3.5 billion.

Additionally, OpenAI demonstrates a very high characteristic of related-party funding cycles. In the first quarter, 72% of its revenue costs and 45% of total expenditures flowed to related parties (expected to be primarily Microsoft), and it directly used $488 million in equity to settle part of its computing power bills. In the data center joint venture project within its consolidated financial statements, nearly $5 billion in book losses is accounted for as belonging to external partners. The documents also reveal that its main competitor, Anthropic, is similarly engaging in large-scale off-balance-sheet expansion, including $4.5 billion in data center service commitments and $35 billion in chip leasing orders.