The future of AI hinges on the success of nuclear fusion breakthrough, says OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said Tuesday that the energy breakthrough is necessary for future artificial intelligence, which will consume significantly more power than people have expected.
Speaking at a Bloomberg event on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Altman said more climate-friendly energy sources, particularly nuclear fusion or cheaper solar power and storage, are the way forward for artificial intelligence.
“There’s no way to get there without a breakthrough,” he said. “It motivates us to invest more in the merger.”
In 2021, Altman personally gave $375 million to private US nuclear fusion company Helion Energy, which has since signed a contract to supply energy to Microsoft for years to come. Microsoft is OpenAI’s largest financial supporter and provides it with computing resources for artificial intelligence.
Altman said he hopes the world will embrace nuclear fission as an energy source as well.
