Top leaders from major tech companies, including OpenAI, Nvidia, Microsoft, Google, and US power companies, gathered at the White House on Thursday to discuss the future of energy and artificial intelligence, according to sources who spoke with CNBC.
Attendees included Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, and Google President Ruth Porat.
The meeting aimed to bring together public and private sectors to discuss the impact of AI on energy use, data centers, semiconductor production, and the national power grid. Sources confirmed these were the main topics of discussion.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and Google President Ruth Porat met at the White House to discuss the future of AI energy infrastructure in the U.S. #google #openai #anthropic #ai #ainews pic.twitter.com/dOtHAppYnw
— Milon Biswas (@0xmilon) September 12, 2024
“We’re at the beginning of a new industrial revolution,” Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang told CNBC as he left the meeting. “This industry is going to be producing intelligence, and what it takes is energy…So we’ve got to make sure that everybody understands the needs coming, the opportunities of it, the challenges of it, and doing it in the most efficient and scalable way we can.”
Huang also mentioned the likely need for collaboration between public and private sectors due to the rapid growth of the industry. He added that Nvidia is preparing to begin full-scale production of its Blackwell chip.
OpenAI believes in expanding infrastructure
A spokesperson for OpenAI told CNBC that expanding infrastructure in the US is essential for the country’s industrial growth and economic future.
Moreover, they emphasized the importance of the White House hosting the meeting, calling it a key step in addressing the need for infrastructure.
This will help create jobs, ensure the benefits of AI are shared broadly, and keep the US at the forefront of AI innovation, according to the spokesperson.
OpenAI also provided the Biden-Harris administration with an analysis of the economic impact of building large data centers across various US states, including Wisconsin, California, Texas, and Pennsylvania, according to a source who spoke with CNBC.
Potential effects on jobs and GDP
The analysis covered potential effects on jobs and the country’s gross domestic product. CNN was the first to report on the meeting.
“President [Joe] Biden and Vice President [Kamala] Harris are committed to deepening US leadership in A.I. by ensuring data-centers are built in the United States while ensuring the technology is developed responsibly,” White House spokesperson Robyn Patterson told CNBC.
This development comes after OpenAI and Anthropic announced in August that they would allow the US AI Safety Institute to test their new models before public release. Additionally, the decision was made in response to growing concerns about safety and ethics in the AI industry.
