AI may soon reach beyond Earth as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman looks to the stars for a solution to the growing energy demands of data centers. Altman is reportedly considering an investment in a rocket company to take on bitter rival Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, has been in talks with Seattle-based rocket startup Stoke Space to potentially invest billions and gain a controlling stake in the company. The discussions, which took place over the summer and intensified in the fall, revolve around Altman’s vision of deploying AI data centers to space in order to harness the Sun’s energy through solar panels and alleviate the strain on Earth’s electricity grid.
The demand for AI data centers is rapidly increasing, with over 5,000 facilities currently operating in the United States alone. Goldman Sachs projects that the electricity demand of these centers will see a 50 percent increase by 2027 and as much as 165 percent by 2030. As companies like OpenAI invest heavily in building new high-capacity facilities to meet the growing demand for artificial intelligence, the limits of Earth’s resources are becoming increasingly apparent.
During a recent podcast interview, Altman acknowledged the challenges posed by the proliferation of data centers, stating, “I do guess a lot of the world gets covered in data centers over time.” He then proposed an alternative solution: “Maybe we put [data centers] in space. I wish I had, like, more concrete answers for you, but like, we’re stumbling through this.”
Altman’s fixation on finding a solution to the data center problem in space is further evidenced by his previous suggestion of building a Dyson sphere to harness energy from the Sun. By investing in Stoke Space, which is developing a fully-reusable, medium-lift rocket called Nova to compete with SpaceX’s Falcon 9, Altman could be taking a significant step towards realizing his vision.
However, the potential deal between OpenAI and Stoke Space may also fuel the ongoing feud between Altman and SpaceX founder Elon Musk, which began over their disagreement on the future of OpenAI. By entering the space industry, Altman could be targeting two objectives simultaneously: addressing the environmental impact of AI data centers and challenging Musk’s dominance in the private space sector.
Read more at the Wall Street Journal here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
