Trending Now
We have updated our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use for Eurasia Group and its affiliates, including GZERO Media, to clarify the types of data we collect, how we collect it, how we use data and with whom we share data. By using our website you consent to our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy, including the transfer of your personal data to the United States from your country of residence, and our use of cookies described in our Cookie Policy.
Sam Altman, the co-founder and CEO of OpenAI, has broad ambitions to solve all of the problems of AI, from algorithms to high-tech chips. But there’s one more problem on his plate: energy. Altman is backing a series of companies that hope to find a way to power the revolutionary tech, literally.
One of the startups Altman invested in is called Oklo, which is building a nuclear power plant in Idaho that could eventually power energy-guzzling data centers that AI depends on, but there is no clear public timeline for the project. Google and Microsoft have also partnered with nuclear power firms for their energy needs.
Nuclear energy comes with risks, of course, and Oklo has had trouble with regulators, which rejected applications in the past based on the lack of safety and security information provided. But going nuclear — if companies like Oklo can get it right — is also a cleaner alternative to more carbon-emitting energy sources.