OpenAI bets on union labor to scale AI infrastructure
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OpenAI is partnering with North America's Building Trades Unions as it ramps up U.S. data center construction.
Why it matters: OpenAI's AI ambitions depend on legions of skilled construction workers to build new data centers.
The big picture: OpenAI will announce a partnership Wednesday with NABTU, per an announcement shared with Axios.
- The deal aims to ensure AI infrastructure projects support union jobs, expand apprenticeship programs and create local economic opportunity, per the statement from OpenAI.
Driving the news: The move comes as CEO Sam Altman speaks Wednesday at BlackRock's infrastructure summit.
- He is expected to talk about compute and energy infrastructure needs for the AI industry.
- Altman will make the announcement with NABTU president Sean McGarvey.
It's the second time OpenAI has formally partnered with a union.
- Last summer, the company launched the National Academy for AI Instruction with the American Federation of Teachers.
What they're saying: To reach 10 gigawatts of compute by 2030, OpenAI will need 20% more tradespeople than exist today, Chris Lehane, OpenAI's chief global affairs officer, told Axios.
- "It's imperative for us to have this workforce to be able to continue to build out at the speed and pace that we need to build out, particularly with the global competition with China," Lehane said.
By the numbers: OpenAI has committed $1.5 million over five years to support NABTU's training and recruitment program, Lehane said.
What we're watching: AI companies need construction labor to scale their infrastructure.
- At the same time, large data centers face mounting scrutiny over power consumption, water use and local impact.
The bottom line: As it pushes to expand compute capacity, OpenAI is aligning its buildout with organized labor — and making the case that AI infrastructure also means jobs.
