Sam Altman’s startup (ChatGPT) is booming thanks to nuclear power… and AI

Taipei on September 25, 2023. © jamesonwu1972/Shutterstock.com

It is a spectacular agreement to say the least that has just been sealed between Oklo, Sam Altman's startup specializing in nuclear energy, and Switch Inc, an American data center operator. Concretely, Oklo must build reactors with a total capacity of 12 gigawatts, which would be enough to power 7.6 million homes in New York State. Explanations.

A technology still in development

Interviewed by the Financial Times, Jacob DeWitte, co-founder and CEO of Oklo, does not mince his words. According to him, this contract is worth several billion dollars. But we cannot see it that way because it does not include any binding conditions for its realization.

And for good reason, the technology used by Sam Altman's company is not yet ready and it will take several more years to come to fruition (if it ever does). Let's remember that Oklo is developing small modular reactors with a capacity of at least 300 megawatts, or a third of current standard-sized installations.

With the rise of generative AI, tech giants are trying to meet growing energy needs and they are turning to these nuclear solutions, spending billions of dollars.

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But by the way, couldn't we focus on renewable energies that are already working? Defending his business, Jacob DeWitte is skeptical:

We're entering a new world because of the scale of energy demand. You can't do it with renewables because you'd need a lot of gas backup capacity and a lot of people want a clean solution.

Other analysts interviewed by the British daily are more skeptical about the promises of these nuclear startups. This is the case of Edwin Lyman, director of nuclear safety for the Union of Concerned Scientists: “These agreements do not seem to correspond to the type of serious, substantial and lasting financial commitments – in the order of several billion dollars over several decades – that would be necessary to fully realize these speculative nuclear projects.”

Sam Altman's bet

As a reminder, Sam Altman has been defending this project for years, which he considers inseparable from the efforts deployed in the field of generative AI. Shortly before the company's IPO, he stressed: “The two most important ingredients for a bright future are an abundance of intelligence and energy.”

His startup aims to target customers such as data centers or military bases that want to increase their energy capacity without having access to the electrical grid. Its solution would also be a boon for companies that want to decarbonize their production.

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