Report: OpenAI’s Building of AI Infrastructure to Begin in US

OpenAI reportedly plans to bring together global investors to spend tens of billions of dollars on artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure in the United States.

The planned projects include data centers, turbines and generators, and semiconductor manufacturing, Bloomberg reported Wednesday (Sept. 4), citing unnamed sources.

The scope of the planned investment was reported earlier, but details are coming to light, according to the report.

Asked by Bloomberg about the company’s plans for infrastructure spending, an OpenAI spokesperson said that the company believes such facilities are critical for advanced AI and making it more widely available.

“We are exploring opportunities with this goal in mind and look forward to sharing more details at a later date,” the spokesperson said, per the report.

OpenAI has been working to form a coalition of global investors, including other private companies, and to get the U.S. government’s blessing for this effort, according to the report.

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, has said that other companies and other countries allied with the U.S. would benefit from the building of additional AI infrastructure, per the report.

At the same time, the U.S. could have national security concerns regarding investors that have ties to China, the report said.

It was reported in February that Altman was seeking approval from the U.S. government for an initiative aimed at enhancing the global manufacturing of AI chips.

While Altman was already actively engaging with potential investors and partners in the U.S., Middle East and Asia, he emphasized the importance of obtaining approval from Washington before proceeding.

Altman aims to collaborate with the U.S. government on matters of approvals, timing and the structure of the venture.

In April, it was reported that Altman was meeting with government and industry officials in several countries in an effort to support the building of AI infrastructure that would meet the need for chips, energy and data centers.

OpenAI believe that one of the biggest challenges facing the tech industry is the amount of energy it takes to power AI systems.

At that time, Altman had spoken with official in several Western countries and in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).