Concerns about a potential bubble in the artificial intelligence (AI) sector remain present in financial markets, as stock corrections affect various tech areas, especially software. However, investor enthusiasm remains strong, and the bet on AI continues firmly. Major start-ups in the sector continue to attract the attention of large tech companies and funds, with Nvidia being a recurring player in the largest funding operations. In just the first weeks of the year, investments in AI have surpassed $150 billion, already exceeding the total for 2025. In this context, OpenAI is about to close the first phase of a funding round exceeding $100 billion, one of the largest ever seen. This operation values the company at $850 billion, nearly triple compared to the round in early 2025, when it was estimated at $300 billion. Microsoft, the main shareholder, and Amazon, which could contribute up to $50 billion and facilitate access to its AI chips, lead the investment, along with Nvidia and SoftBank, each contributing $30 billion. OpenAI, which is considering a future IPO, plans a second phase of funding to include venture capital funds, financial entities, and sovereign funds. Its CEO, Sam Altman, has held meetings with investors from the Gulf region, who have already made significant bets in AI, to include them in the round. If realized, the fundraising would exceed $100 billion. OpenAI's competitors have also had an intense start to the year in the financial realm. Anthropic, creator of Claude, recently closed a $30 billion round, reaching a valuation of $380 billion, above expectations. The operation was backed by sovereign funds, institutional investors, and major tech companies like GIC, Coatue, D. E. Shaw Ventures, ICONIQ, MGX, Blackstone, Sequoia, and funds linked to BlackRock. Nvidia and Microsoft had already committed $15 billion in previous rounds. In September 2025, Anthropic had raised $10 billion with a valuation of $183 billion, doubling its value in less than six months. At the beginning of January, xAI, Elon Musk's start-up, closed a $20 billion round with participation from Cisco, Nvidia, Valor Equity Partners, Stepstone Group, Fidelity, Baron Capital, Qatar Investment Authority, MGX, and Humain, the latter linked to the Saudi sovereign fund PIF, which confirmed a $3 billion investment. xAI's valuation reached $230 billion. Subsequently, Musk announced the merger of xAI and SpaceX, with a combined valuation of $1.25 trillion, a record for a tech start-up. SpaceX could go public in June, with an estimated IPO of over $50 billion, the largest in history. Another notable operation was Skild AI's Series C round, which raised $1.4 billion and placed the company's valuation at $14 billion, tripling its value in seven months. SoftBank led the investment, accompanied by Nvidia, Bezos Expeditions, Macquarie Capital, 1789 Capital, and Salesforce Ventures. Humans&, founded by former members of OpenAI, Alphabet, xAI, and Anthropic, also closed a $480 million round in January, backed by Nvidia and Jeff Bezos. In total, nearly twenty AI start-ups in the United States have closed rounds exceeding $100 million since the beginning of the year. Current figures indicate that mega funding rounds are on track to surpass the $76 billion raised in 2025, according to Techcrunch. For now, investors maintain their bets on the sector. (Source: elpais.com)