OpenAI, the developer behind ChatGPT, has witnessed a remarkable surge in user adoption, with weekly active users surpassing 400 million in February.
This marks a significant increase from 300 million in December, demonstrating the growing reliance on artificial intelligence tools across various sectors. The company’s paying business users also more than doubled from September, surpassing 2 million in February. These figures reflect the rapid expansion of AI adoption, as businesses and individuals increasingly integrate advanced AI models into their workflows.
The sharp rise in OpenAI’s user base comes amid intensifying competition in the generative AI space. In recent weeks, China’s DeepSeek introduced an AI model claiming to rival or even surpass Western counterparts at a fraction of the cost.
This development has sparked discussions about whether U.S. companies like OpenAI can maintain their dominance in the AI sector. However, DeepSeek’s unexpected popularity led to outages at the relatively small startup, highlighting the challenges of scaling AI infrastructure to meet growing demand, Reuters news report said.
Adding to the controversy, there have been concerns regarding how DeepSeek obtained Nvidia’s H800 chips, which are essential for training large AI models. The U.S. government had previously restricted the export of these high-performance chips to China as part of broader efforts to maintain a technological edge in AI development.
OpenAI has also reported significant growth in developer engagement with its AI models. Over the past six months, the company has observed a twofold increase in developer traffic for its reasoning models, indicating that more developers are leveraging these advanced capabilities for complex problem-solving. Additionally, OpenAI’s latest o3 model, launched in late January, has seen a fivefold surge in usage, further demonstrating strong interest in its newest AI advancements.
The rapid growth of OpenAI’s platform underscores the increasing demand for generative AI tools across industries, from content creation and customer support to software development and data analysis. As competition in the AI space heats up, OpenAI continues to expand its reach, solidifying its position as a leading force in the development and commercialization of artificial intelligence.
