Alexander Lewis 
Jan 17, 2024
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman linked energy breakthroughs with the future of artificial intelligence (AI), saying that the former is important for the future of AI as it is expected to consume more power than predicted.
Altman, while speaking at an event on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, said: “The silver lining is that more climate-friendly sources of energy, particularly nuclear fusion or cheaper solar power and storage, are the way forward for AI.”
"There's no way to get there without a breakthrough," the CEO said. "It motivates us to invest more in fusion."
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It should be noted that in 2021, Altman personally provided $375 million to private US nuclear fusion company Helion Energy, which since has signed a deal to provide energy to Microsoft, opening a new tab in future years. Microsoft is OpenAI's biggest financial backer and provides computing resources for AI.
Altman said he wished the world would embrace nuclear fission as an energy source as well.
