OpenAI’s AI Dreams Face Reality Check: ’No Compute, No Glory’ in 2026

KEY POINTS

•OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar revealed in September 2025 that limited compute is forcing the company to skip opportunities in 2026.
•Despite raising $122 billion, OpenAI prioritizes core AI products and has discontinued projects like the Sora video app.
•OpenAI President Greg Brockman and other AI companies like Anthropic acknowledge the intense competition for computing capacity amid soaring demand.

In a plot twist stranger than Silicon Valley startup pitches, OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar confessed in September 2025 from their Stargate AI data center in Abilene, Texas, that the tech giant is playing hard to get with new AI projects — because it literally can’t buy enough computer juice. Even after snagging a mind-boggling $122 billion funding round, they’re stuck licking the compute scarcity blues in 2026. This isn’t just about chips; AI boss Greg Brockman admitted OpenAI is making 'very painful decisions' to ditch apps like video-powered Sora and focus on not blowing through their pixel power. Meanwhile, industry neighbor Anthropic is resorting to usage caps like a mean kid guarding candy. ‘If you do not have it [compute], you do not have revenue,’ Friar deadpanned, proving even AI crunch time can’t conjure more hardware from thin air.