Helion in Talks to Supply Power to OpenAI

Helion Energy, a nuclear fusion startup based in Everett, Washington, is in early-stage talks to supply significant amounts of electricity to OpenAI, the artificial intelligence company behind ChatGPT, according to reports citing sources familiar with the discussions. The potential agreement could guarantee OpenAI access to 5 gigawatts of power by 2030, scaling up to 50 gigawatts by 2035, representing a substantial portion of Helion's planned production.

The negotiations highlight the growing energy demands of the AI sector, where training and operating advanced models require vast amounts of reliable, clean electricity. OpenAI's infrastructure plans involve billions in data center expansions, with power needs projected to rival those of small nations. Under the framework being discussed, OpenAI would secure about 12.5 percent of Helion's output, though the talks remain preliminary and include unmet conditions such as site selection for power generation facilities. Neither company has confirmed the details, but the scale suggests Helion would need to deploy hundreds of reactors—each designed to produce 50 megawatts—to meet these targets, a manufacturing challenge unprecedented...