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Date: April 23, 2024

Sam Altman has addressed a rising concern of inadequate power supply from the traditional power grids to feed AI’s energy demands.

Artificial intelligence is a powerful technology that requires a heavy power supply for operations. Observing the rapidly rising demand for AI in personal and professional landscapes, Sam Altman, the co-founder and CEO of OpenAI, has ventured out for better alternatives. As a result, Sam Altman has proposed green energy as a potential solution for the lack of power supply from traditional grids.

Altman is already an investor in nuclear energy startups like Helion and Oklo. This move will provide the necessary support and infrastructure for nuclear energy breakthroughs and facilitate early access to the technology and their output grids to fuel OpenAI’s appetite.

Electricity is a major problem for AI due to the heavy loads required to sustain infrastructural foundations and expand service offerings on demand. Investors are increasingly concerned that the lack of energy supplies may result in potential revenue losses and lost opportunity costs. Altman, venture capitalist firm Andreessen Horowitz, and several other investment firms have invested around $20 million into Exowatt, a renewable energy startup focused on providing cleaner alternatives to conglomerates.

The growing investments in renewable energy startups from companies developing AI is a strong indication of the upcoming power inadequacies from this year onwards. OpenAI’s CEO has already forecasted unprecedented power grid blackouts that will hit the server offices, development units, and research facilities at large. Altman poses a strong standpoint in this regard, claiming that the only viable option to provide electricity supply at scale can either be solar or nuclear energy. 

By building in-house capabilities to power OpenAI’s state-of-the-art facilities, the company can ensure unobstructed operations and prevent unwanted losses. Exowatt aims to supply solar energy to AI development companies. It envisions an electric grid that allows a nearly free energy supply at scale. The approach aligns with the growing adoption of AI globally and supports the cost-efficiency plans of AI developers.

Despite the productive intentions of Exowatt, the challenges faced by renewable energy development companies are major roadblocks. The adoption of thermal energy storage is age-old and effective but failed to attract global adoption. Energy derived from water sources leaves residues and potential risks to water inhabitants. To build a sustainable energy resource, the existing roadblocks will need addressing first, extending to widespread adoption by top tech giants.
 

By Arpit Dubey

Arpit is a dreamer, wanderer, and a tech nerd who loves to jot down tech musings and updates. With a logician mind, he is always chasing sunrises and tech advancements while secretly preparing for the robot uprising.