OpenAI is in talks to purchase electricity from Helion Energy, the nuclear fusion startup backed by — and until recently chaired by — Sam Altman, according to a report from Axios.

The deal would follow a similar playbook to Helion's existing agreement with Microsoft, announced in 2023, in which the fusion company committed to supplying power to Microsoft's data centers. As AI model training and inference have scaled dramatically, Big Tech operators are increasingly looking beyond traditional energy grids for reliable, low-carbon power.

The Conflict of Interest

Altman's dual role raises obvious governance concerns. He is CEO of OpenAI, a $300+ billion company that would be purchasing the electricity, while simultaneously being a major investor in and former board chair of Helion, the entity selling it.

According to Axios, Altman has stepped down as Helion's board chair and recused himself from the OpenAI-side discussions in an attempt to address the conflict. Whether that recusal is sufficient is a matter of debate — Altman retains significant financial stakes in Helion and his removal from the board is recent.

Helion's Progress

Helion has made meaningful technical strides. Its Polaris machine became the first privately funded fusion device to operate with deuterium-tritium fuel and achieve plasma temperatures of 150 million degrees Celsius — a record among private fusion companies.

If a deal is finalized, it would mark the first time a major AI lab directly sourced power from a fusion energy company — a milestone that signals both the ambition of Helion's roadmap and the urgency of AI's energy problem.