OpenAI CEO Sam Altman pleads US government to expand Chips Act tax credit for AI growth

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman pleads US government to expand Chips Act tax credit for AI growth

The company discussed the possibility of federal loan guarantees to spur the construction of chip factories in the country

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, has emphasized the company's request to the U.S. government to expand eligibility for a Chips Act tax credit, as the country accelerates efforts to secure its position as a global leader in artificial intelligence (AI).

Altman stated, "We think U.S. re-industrialization across the entire stack - fabs, turbines, transformers, steel, and much more, will help everyone in our industry, and other industries. But the tax credit is super different than loan guarantees to OpenAI."

His comments came after Chris Lehane, Chief Global Affairs Officer of OpenAI, sent a letter to Michael Kratsios, the Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), seeking an extension of eligibility for the Advanced Manufacturing Investment Credit (AMIC) to AI server production, AI data centers and grid components.

(The AMIC is a U.S. federal tax incentive to boost domestic semiconductor manufacturing).

OpenAI discussed with the U.S. government about the possibility of federal loan guarantees to spur the construction of chip factories in the country, but not data centers. The company committed to spending $1.4 trillion building computational resources until 2033.

Meanwhile, the demand for AI models and products, including OpenAI's widely used ChatGPT, has prompted leading tech companies to unveil ambitious plans for building more data centers and developing advanced chips.

However, David Sacks, the White House AI and crypto czar, denied any federal bailout for AI.