OpenAI tells Trump to build more power plants or China wins the AI arms race

'Electrons are the new oil,' ChatGPT maker claims, demanding 100 GW per year

OpenAI wants the Trump administration to build 100 gigawatts of additional electricity generation capacity per annum to avoid the US being overtaken by China in the AI arms race.

The highly-valued generative AI biz says electricity is "a strategic asset" critical to building the AI infrastructure that will secure US leadership on "the most consequential technology since electricity itself."

However, China is outstripping America in constructing new capacity, adding 429 GW in 2024 compared with just 51 GW achieved by the land of the free.

OpenAI says "electrons are the new oil" (which makes a change from data being described as such) and China's lead in adding capacity is creating an "electron gap" that puts the States' standing at risk.

This brings to mind the Cold War "bomber gap" of the 1950s, when US government poured millions of dollars into expanding the Air Force's nuclear bomber fleet due to a mistaken belief the USSR already had large numbers of them.

"We believe the Trump Administration should work with the private sector on an ambitious national project to build 100 gigawatts a year of new energy capacity," OpenAI says.

OpenAI says it's working with Wisconsin utilities to increase capacity for its newly announced Stargate datacenter campus. The company claims its infrastructure will feed energy back to the grid or reduce draw to protect consumers from higher costs. Meanwhile, Americans in multiple states have seen electricity bills climb, with AI datacenters taking the blame — as The Register forecast last year.

The company also predicts a labor shortfall, estimating the US will need 20 percent more skilled trade workers over the next five years to support new data facilities and energy infrastructure.

"There's clear reason to be confident the US can pull it off," OpenAI says, as the US has a history of "thinking big, acting big, and building big." It believes the same ambition can deliver the energy and infrastructure needed to maintain America's global lead in AI.

In related news, Google signed a deal with NextEra Energy to restart Iowa's Duane Arnold Energy Center, the state's only nuclear plant. Once operational — expected in early 2029 — Google will purchase power from the 615 MW facility as a carbon-free energy source for its cloud and AI infrastructure. The company says the move may also strengthen local grid reliability.

The 25-year power purchase agreement covers restart costs and energy production from Duane Arnold, NextEra said. The companies have also signed an agreement to explore developing new nuclear generation in the US. ®