- Sam Altman is seeking U.S. government approval for a multitrillion-dollar AI chip venture, Bloomberg reports.
- Altman is seeking to raise up to $7 trillion to increase the supply of GPU chips.
- Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang expressed skepticism about the huge amount.
Sam Altman is trying to get Washington backing for a multitrillion-dollar AI chip venture.
Bloomberg reports that OpenAI’s CEO is working to get approval from the U.S. government because the project risks raising national security and antitrust concerns.
Altman is reportedly seeking to raise up to $7 trillion to increase the supply of GPU chips. The Wall Street Journal reported that the tech CEO met with investors, including from the United Arab Emirates.
Altman told potential investors that the deal could not move forward without Washington’s approval, Bloomberg reported.
Altman’s proposal is reportedly aimed at helping solve the global chip shortage. According to the report, he is said to be pitching it as a partnership between OpenAI, chip makers, and investors who can fund GPU chip factories.
Representatives for OpenAI did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.
Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, a major semiconductor company, is less positive about Altman’s plans.
He told UAE AI Minister Omar Al-Olama that developing AI would not cost as much as Altman was trying to raise.
“The installed base of data centers is worth about $1 trillion. Over the next four to five years, there will be $2 trillion worth of data centers that will power the world’s software,” Huang said.
He also indirectly attacked Altman, joking that $7 trillion could buy “apparently all the GPUs.”
