Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, has made a personal donation of $1 million to President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration fund, expressing hopes that the new administration will prioritize AI infrastructure development. In a recent interview with Bloomberg, Altman emphasized the need for substantial investment in new, US-built infrastructure to support AI advancements.
Altman highlighted the challenges posed by bureaucratic obstacles in the United States, stating, “The thing I really deeply agree with the president on is, it is wild how difficult it has become to build things in the United States. Power plants, data centers, any of that kind of stuff. I understand how bureaucratic cruft builds up, but it’s not helpful to the country in general.” He added that this issue is particularly detrimental to the US’s leadership in AI.
Altman also pointed out that regulation is hindering infrastructure development in other industries, such as fusion power. He mentioned Helion, a fusion power startup he has invested in, which recently received a license from the Washington State Department of Health to use radioactive byproduct materials. “Soon there will be a demonstration of net-gain fusion. You then have to build a system that doesn’t break. You have to scale it up,” Altman said. “You have to figure out how to build a factory — build a lot of them — and you have to get regulatory approval. And that will take, you know, years altogether.”
In addition to supporting Trump’s approach to regulation and infrastructure, Altman expressed mixed feelings about the CHIPS Act, a semiconductor manufacturing incentive pushed by President Joe Biden’s administration. “I think the CHIPS Act was better than doing nothing but not the thing that we should have done,” Altman said. “And I think there’s a real opportunity to do something much better as a follow-on. I don’t think the CHIPS Act has been as effective as any of us hoped.”
Altman reportedly aims to raise trillions of dollars to address the global chip shortage and has engaged with international investors, including those from the United Arab Emirates. He believes that the development of artificial general intelligence (AGI) will likely occur during Trump’s term, making it crucial to get it right.
Altman stated, “Supporting the inauguration, I think that’s a relatively small thing. I don’t view that as a big decision either way. But I do think we all should wish for the president’s success.” He added that he supports “any president” and is eager to see America lead in AI development.
As Trump’s second administration begins, Altman is not alone in making substantial donations to influence policy. Companies like Meta, Amazon, Uber, Ford, and Toyota have also contributed $1 million each to Trump’s inaugural fund.
