ChatGPT: OpenAI Observes a Majority of Female Users

A New Female Majority Among ChatGPT Users

OpenAI recently revealed a significant shift in the composition of its ChatGPT users. At its launch in late 2022, about 80% of users had male first names. Today, this trend has reversed, with over 50% of regular users having female first names. This evolution began to manifest as early as fall 2025, with a slight female predominance among users. With weekly active users approaching one billion, this means that approximately 500 million women worldwide are regularly using ChatGPT.

This change in user distribution is attributed to the transformation of ChatGPT from a niche technical product to an everyday tool. OpenAI emphasizes that generative AI has seen rapid adoption, surpassing previous technologies such as PCs or the Internet. However, the company warns against the notion that these disparities will resolve themselves. It stresses the need to continue monitoring and addressing access inequalities based on various criteria, such as income, education, company size, sectors, and geographies.

China's AI Investments: An Estimate from OpenAI

In the context of geopolitical competition for AI supremacy between the United States and China, OpenAI has shared its estimates regarding China's AI spending. The company estimates that Chinese investments could reach between $97.2 billion and $125.3 billion by 2025. These figures include contributions from the government, private companies, and state telecommunications providers. While the United States leads with a forecast of $527 billion for 2026, China benefits from higher purchasing power per dollar spent.

The breakdown of expenditures shows that Chinese companies, such as Alibaba, ByteDance, Huawei, and Tencent, are the main drivers of these investments, with estimated spending between $67.5 billion and $76 billion. Direct fiscal support from the Chinese government is estimated between $16.8 billion and $36.4 billion, supplemented by contributions from large state-owned enterprises, which add another $12.9 billion. OpenAI notes that these figures only account for direct subsidies, meaning actual government spending could be higher.

In addition to direct funding, China has a broader financing architecture, relying on state-controlled funds, state bank loans, and policy tools. For 2026, OpenAI predicts that spending by Chinese companies will increase by 17%, reaching between $78.3 billion and $89.4 billion.

Computing Power: An Asset and a Challenge for OpenAI

OpenAI continues to emphasize that computing power is a determining factor for success in AI. Better infrastructure allows for the creation of more efficient models, and algorithmic advancements reduce the cost per token. This leads to increased use of artificial intelligence, generating demand for even more capacity. The company indicates that its available computing power has roughly tripled year-over-year: from 0.2 gigawatts in 2023, to 0.6 gigawatts in 2024, reaching approximately 1.9 gigawatts in 2025.

However, computing power is increasingly becoming a bottleneck, and OpenAI is betting heavily on staying ahead. Starting with a commitment of 10 gigawatts for the Stargate project in January 2025, the company has signed partnerships with Nvidia, Broadcom, Oracle, and AMD throughout 2025, totaling over 30 gigawatts on paper. Nevertheless, many of these agreements remain vague, particularly regarding OpenAI's ability to bear the costs.

The company now aims for 30 gigawatts by 2030, with over 8 gigawatts already "identified." This seems to be a more cautious formulation than last year's rapid announcements. Reports also suggest that OpenAI is scaling back its planned computing power purchases in the EU.

Although OpenAI has seemingly showcased its infrastructure lead over Anthropic to investors, Anthropic's CEO, Dario Amodei, has described this approach as risky, stating that OpenAI "does things because it seems cool." Anthropic plans a more measured development of at least 10 gigawatts over the coming years.