On Monday, OpenAI called on the US government to launch an unprecedented effort to strengthen the country's energy capacity, arguing that the future of US technological supremacy over China now depends on its access to electricity. "Electrons are the new oil," the company said in a memo sent to the White House, stressing that energy is a key strategic lever to support the next industrial revolution driven by artificial intelligence.
The start-up says its projects, including the Stargate mega data center in Texas developed with Oracle and SoftBank, require colossal amounts of electricity, while the US grid is already showing signs of saturation. OpenAI is calling for a federal commitment to build 100 gigawatts of new capacity each year, pointing out that China added 429 gigawatts in 2024, compared to only 51 gigawatts in the US. This gap, described as an "electron gap," could, in its view, jeopardize the U.S. lead in AI.
In a document submitted to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, OpenAI calls for a national mobilization around energy production and distribution, comparable to that carried out for semiconductors. The company believes that "energy is now a strategic resource" and that its development will determine the country's competitiveness in the global race for artificial intelligence.
