Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, has revealed that the company plans to spend trillions of dollars on data center construction to scale its popular chatbot ChatGPT. The plan is part of Altman’s vision for OpenAI as an infrastructure player, rivaling utilities in terms of scale.
Altman acknowledged that the launch of GPT-5 was botched due to a colder persona, leading to user backlash and forcing him to reinstate GPT-4. He emphasized the need for the chatbot to feel personal but warned against getting too personal, citing concerns over “unhealthy” relationships with users.
The OpenAI CEO also discussed ambitious plans for AI-driven social media, brain-computer interfaces, and even acquiring Google Chrome. However, Altman cautioned that the AI industry is in a bubble, driven by hype rather than substance.
Altman predicted that ChatGPT will become one of the largest websites in the world, surpassing Instagram and Facebook, but acknowledged that hardware limitations pose a significant challenge. The company’s ability to scale is currently limited by GPU shortages and energy supply constraints.
The trillion-dollar data center plan highlights OpenAI’s shift from being a software startup to an infrastructure player. Altman believes that investing heavily in physical infrastructure will drive the AI industry forward.
Source: https://fortune.com/2025/08/18/sam-altman-openai-chatgpt5-launch-data-centers-investments