The Need for a “Breakthrough” in Energy for Artificial Intelligence, According to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman

In a statement reported by the German news agency, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman highlighted the necessity for a “breakthrough” in the field of energy if artificial intelligence (AI) is to realize its full potential. Altman stated earlier in January that the energy requirements for the AI industry could rely on nuclear fusion, a technology yet to be developed by humans but has the potential, if achieved, to significantly surpass current energy production capabilities.

Altman, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, emphasized that this prospect motivates OpenAI to invest more extensively in fusion technology. Scientists and engineers have been striving for decades to discover nuclear fusion energy generation, partially emulating how stars like the sun supply themselves with energy. However, a breakthrough has not yet been achieved to make large-scale production feasible.

Altman’s remarks followed the release of projections indicating that artificial intelligence data centers will need the same amount of electricity as a medium-sized country by 2027. These estimates were published in 2023, less than a year after OpenAI launched the ChatGPT chatbot for public use. Among the countries compared in terms of electricity consumption was the Netherlands, with a GDP of around one trillion dollars, ranking among the world’s wealthiest nations.

The energy consumption of data centers, serving billions of cloud computing, live streaming, and social media users worldwide, has been a contentious issue even before the recent expansion of “Generative” artificial intelligence. This is due to the increasing strain on energy networks and its impact on consumer prices.

In Ireland, where several technology giants have European regional headquarters, electricity demands for data centers rose from 5% of the national available supply in 2015 to 18% in 2022. Electricity supplies and prices faced further pressure due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, prompting Europe to make efforts to reduce dependence on Moscow’s gas exports.