OpenAI has pitched the Biden administration on building massive data centers across the US. Each data center would use as much power as entire cities. This unprecedented expansion is seen as necessary to develop more advanced AI models and compete with China.
After a recent meeting at the White House with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and other tech leaders, the startup shared a document with officials. It outlined the economic and national security benefits of building 5 gigawatt (GW) data centers in various states. 5 GW is roughly equal to five nuclear reactors, or enough to power almost 3 million homes.
OpenAI said investing in these facilities would create tens of thousands of jobs, boost GDP, and ensure the US maintains its lead in AI, according to the document. To achieve that, the US needs policies that support greater data center capacity. Altman has spent much of this year trying to form a global coalition to fund the costly infrastructure required for rapid AI development.
He is also working to secure the US government’s blessing for the project. “OpenAI is actively working to strengthen AI infrastructure in the US, which we believe is critical to keeping America at the forefront of global innovation, boosting reindustrialization across the country, and making AI’s benefits accessible to everyone,” an OpenAI spokesperson said. However, power projects in the US are facing delays due to long wait times to connect to grids, permitting delays, supply chain issues, and labor shortages.
openai’s proposed data centers plan
Energy executives have said powering even a single 5 GW data center would be a challenge. Joe Dominguez, CEO of Constellation Energy Corp., mentioned that Altman is talking about building five to seven such data centers.
The document shared with the White House does not provide a specific number. OpenAI’s aim is to start with a single data center, with plans to potentially expand from there, according to a person familiar with the matter. “Whatever we’re talking about is not only something that’s never been done, but I don’t believe it’s feasible as an engineer, as somebody who grew up in this,” Dominguez said.
“It’s certainly not possible under a timeframe that’s going to address national security and timing.”
The US has a total of 96 GW of installed capacity of nuclear power. Last week, OpenAI’s biggest investor, Microsoft Corp., struck a deal with Constellation in which the nuclear provider will restart the shuttered Three Mile Island facility solely to provide Microsoft with nuclear power for two decades. In June, NextEra Energy Inc CEO John Ketchum said the clean-energy giant had received requests from some tech companies to find sites that can support 5 GW of demand, without naming specific firms.
“Think about that. That’s the size of powering the city of Miami,” he said. That much power would require a mix of new wind and solar farms, battery storage, and a connection to the grid, Ketchum added.
He noted that finding a site that could accommodate 5 GW would take some work, but there are places in the US that can fit one gigawatt.
