Securing the future of artificial intelligence (AI) requires an energy breakthrough. Sam Altman said this on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos. The CEO of OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, among others, emphasizes how important it is to continue investing in more climate-friendly energy sources.

When Sam Altman speaks, the whole world listens. According to the strong man within OpenAI, much more energy is needed than previously assumed, various media outlets such as Bloomberg know. Altman says the focus should be on nuclear fusion, cheaper solar panels and improvements in energy storage. “Only through additional investment and breakthroughs in various areas will AI have a real future,” says Altman.

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The minds behind language models like GPT are firmly convinced that additional investment is necessary. “The need for more energy motivates us to invest even more,” says Altman. The CEO literally does this. In 2021, he personally invested $375 million in the American company Helion Energy, which specializes in nuclear fusion. Not long after, Helion Energy struck a deal to provide energy to Microsoft, not coincidentally the largest supporter of OpenAI.

Nuclear fusion releases energy by melting atoms. This happens without waste and, at least as important, without CO2 emissions. This all sounds promising and like an environmentally friendly way of generating energy. But the process of fusion of atoms is energy-intensive because intense lasers are used. Altman believes that additional investments in research and development are not an unnecessary luxury.