OpenAI issued a comprehensive appeal highlighting how the United States’ current electricity infrastructure places its global leadership in artificial intelligence at risk. The company’s analysis warns that the shortfall in energy capacity threatens the nation’s ability to seize what is described as a “once-in-a-century opportunity” in the intelligence era.
OpenAI asserts that electricity is not simply a utility, but a strategic asset that underpins AI infrastructure and national competitiveness. According to the company’s internal analysis, an investment of the first US$1 trillion in AI infrastructure could yield more than a 5 percent increase in U.S. GDP growth over a three-year period.
In its newly submitted comments to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), OpenAI outlines key policy recommendations:
- Strengthen America’s industrial base
- Modernize regulations to unlock more energy
- Equip American workers for tomorrow’s jobs through AI-education and workforce-development programs
- Ensure frontier AI systems protect American national security, including through expanded federal government adoption
The submission comes as the company reports that in the last seven months its weekly user base rose from more than 400 million to over 800 million users most of whom access the tools at no cost making the demand for electricity more urgent than ever.
OpenAI also draws attention to the emerging “electron gap” in which China added 429 gigawatts of new power capacity in 2024 over half of global electricity growth while the U.S. added only 51 gigawatts, roughly one-eighth of China’s increase. The imbalance is framed as a threat to U.S. leadership in AI.
To address these challenges, OpenAI is advancing its own infrastructure commitments. The company is building “Stargate” sites in Texas, New Mexico, Ohio and Wisconsin that will add nearly 7 gigawatts of new compute capacity and represent over US$400 billion in investment over the next three years. Through these projects, the company is on track to fulfil its target of US$500 billion and 10 gigawatts by the end of 2025.
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At the Wisconsin site, OpenAI is collaborating with the local utility to increase energy capacity in a way that strengthens the regional grid for residents. The site’s design ensures the data centre contributes energy back into the local system or reduces how much it draws to avoid higher costs for consumers.
OpenAI is also preparing today’s workforce for tomorrow’s technology-driven economy through its OpenAI Certifications program and Jobs Platform, which create new pathways into skilled trades and technology roles with strong wages and portable credentials. This initiative addresses the company’s estimate that the U.S. will need a workforce equal to about 20 percent of its current skilled-trades labour force over the next five years to build and operate AI and energy infrastructure.
OpenAI points to the U.S. history of large-scale infrastructure achievement from the interstate highway system to the Apollo programme as evidence that the nation “can think big, act big, and build big.” The company believes that same ambition can now deliver the energy and infrastructure required to maintain America’s global lead in AI and ensure the technology remains a source of national prosperity and strength.