Scoop: OpenAI bets on Altman-backed fusion startup
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Photo Illustration: Natalie Peeples/Axios. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
OpenAI is in advanced talks to buy electricity from Sam Altman-backed fusion startup Helion Energy, according to a person familiar with the situation.
Why it matters: The move shows OpenAI is serious about tapping fusion energy to help meet massive power demands.
Driving the news: OpenAI could secure a guaranteed portion of Helion's production, initially 12.5%, per the source.
- The talks center on OpenAI receiving the equivalent of 5 gigawatts by 2030, scaling to 50 gigawatts by 2035.
Between the lines: OpenAI CEO Altman, who is an investor in Helion, has stepped down as Helion's board chair and is no longer involved in the company's board, the source told Axios.
- Altman has also recused himself from the deal discussions, according to the same source.
- Altman holds a sizable stake in Helion, though the size has not been disclosed. He led the company's $500 million Series E round in 2021. Helion closed a further $425 million funding round in January 2025.
- Helion is also backed by SoftBank, Peter Thiel's Mithril Capital and Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz.
How it works: Fusion energy — which creates energy using the same process as the Sun — could be a key step in giving AI companies an abundant clean energy source to match its needs.
- Helion believes it is on the cusp of "scientific breakeven" — a key step to reaching the point where the company's fusion process can generate more energy than it consumes, the source said.
- No private company has yet achieved this milestone.
Yes, but: The talks with OpenAI involve the basic framework of an agreement, with many conditions yet to be fulfilled, including the selection of a site for Helion to produce the energy.
- An OpenAI representative declined to comment.
The big picture: Google has several agreements with Helion rival Commonwealth Fusion Systems, including a deal to buy 200 megawatts worth of power.
- Helion also inked a power purchase deal with Microsoft in 2023, calling for it to deliver 50 megawatts to the software giant.
What we're watching: Whether Helion can hit scientific breakeven on a timeline that makes those 2030 and 2035 power commitments a reality.
