(Bloomberg) — US Vitality Secretary Jennifer Granholm signaled she’s open to tech corporations receiving overseas funding to construct knowledge facilities within the US, probably including a key voice of help for OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s effort to line up abroad buyers for expensive AI infrastructure tasks.
“Cash is inexperienced,” Granholm stated at a convention hosted by the Particular Aggressive Research Venture on Thursday, in response to a query about whether or not the US authorities cares the place the capital comes from. “So long as there’s some boundaries on them, I feel it’s wonderful.”
Granholm, who attended a White Home roundtable this month with Altman and different executives on AI infrastructure, stated at Thursday’s occasion that any funding offers ought to think about what sort of entry overseas buyers must mental property and be sure that knowledge facilities are constructed within the US.
Altman has been searching for to boost billions in funding from buyers within the Center East and different markets to broaden the bodily infrastructure wanted to help the long run improvement of synthetic intelligence. He has additionally met with US officers to get them on board with the plan.
Altman and his group goal to begin with investments within the US, together with constructing knowledge facilities, rising power capability, and increasing semiconductor manufacturing, Bloomberg has reported.
After the White Home assembly this month, OpenAI shared a doc with authorities officers outlining the financial and nationwide safety advantages of constructing large knowledge facilities in numerous US states that may every use as a lot energy as total cities. However power executives have stated powering these knowledge facilities could be a problem.
On the convention, Granholm stated the Division of Vitality has been working carefully with giant AI corporations to deal with the rising energy demand from knowledge facilities and create a “concierge service” to assist them get the help they want.