According to media reports, Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, a leading figure in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), has made a significant investment in the solar power generation and storage company Exowatt to provide clean and low-carbon energy for AI data centers. Other investors besides Altman himself include the US-based private venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz and Atomic, with a total investment of $20 million.
While AI large models like ChatGPT are bringing about significant changes to human society, they have also been the subject of controversy due to energy consumption issues. According to the International Energy Agency, data centers consume 1.5% to 2% of the world’s electricity, a figure expected to rise to 4% by 2030. Altman predicts that by 2030, data centers will consume a quarter of the electricity in the United States.
To address the energy and power challenges of AI development, Altman has shifted focus to the green energy sector. In addition to the investment in Exowatt, he has previously invested in the nuclear power startups Oklo and Helion. In 2023, Microsoft announced a power purchase agreement with the nuclear fusion startup Helion Energy to buy 50 megawatts of electricity from its fusion power plant by 2028. In the same year, the nuclear fission startup Oklo announced plans to merge and go public with AltC.
Returning to Exowatt, the clean energy startup has not provided detailed information about its technology. However, according to media disclosures, the company has developed container-sized thermal energy storage solar panels rather than traditional ground-mounted solar panels. These panels convert the sun’s energy into heat, which is then used to heat inexpensive base materials, similar to toasting bread with electricity. The storage time of these components can be as long as 24 hours.
The goal of this approach is to take full advantage of the cost benefits of thermal energy storage, with the generation cost of this new solar technology being lower than fossil fuels. When power is needed, the components convert the stored thermal energy into electricity through a machine. Many companies are researching solar power and low-cost thermal batteries, but Exowatt is taking a unique approach by integrating all these into a single unit.
The only issue with solar power generation is the inability to guarantee constant sunshine. For power stability, while solar and wind energy are good, future reliable clean energy will primarily depend on nuclear power. Clearly, Altman is also aware of this, and he expressed in 2021 that the aging US grid is unable to support the rise of AI data centers and the electrification of the economy.
