OpenAI’s ChatGPT has crossed 1 billion global monthly active app users, becoming the fastest application ever to reach the milestone, according to estimates from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower. The record, achieved in roughly three years since launch, surpasses the pace set by Google Maps, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.
The milestone comes amid an escalating contest between OpenAI and Anthropic for dominance in the rapidly expanding artificial intelligence market. Anthropic confidentially filed for a US initial public offering on Monday, while OpenAI is reportedly preparing to file for an IPO in the coming weeks.
For Texas, the AI boom is reshaping the state’s technology landscape. Data centre construction across Dallas-Fort Worth and San Antonio has accelerated to meet surging demand for AI computing infrastructure, with major providers expanding their footprint in the state’s business-friendly regulatory environment. Texas now ranks among the top three US states for data centre capacity, trailing only Virginia and Illinois.
Sensor Tower reports that Claude, Anthropic’s AI assistant, had 56 million global monthly active users as of the second quarter, with year-over-year growth of approximately 640 percent — significantly outpacing ChatGPT’s 62 percent growth rate. Among US users who installed the Claude app in the first quarter, time spent on ChatGPT dropped 5 percent in the following month, suggesting growing competition for user attention.
Industry observers say the dual IPO preparations signal that the AI sector is entering a new phase of commercial maturity. For Texas-based cloud providers, chip designers, and infrastructure companies, the expanding AI ecosystem represents a significant growth opportunity as capital flows toward the companies powering the next generation of computing.
Source: Emirates 24|7 / Reuters / Sensor Tower | Texan Weekly
