OpenAI has called on the US to substantially increase its investment in new energy capacity to support AI data center development.

The generative AI company said that the nation should add 100GW in new energy per year to help close the "electron gap" with China. Last year, the US added 51GW, while China added 429GW.

Targeting 100GW "would both account for baseline demands and grid retirements, and fuel American AI dominance, ensuring that US companies have the power they need and energy becomes cheaper and more reliable for communities across the country," OpenAI's chief global affairs officer, Chris Lehane, said in a letter to the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP)'s Michael Kratsios.

The company said that the government should accelerate transmission line construction using existing tools such as the DOE’s Loan Programs Office, the US Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service loans, DOE’s Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) program grants, and Power Marketing Administration financing.

Some of those programs, including the loan office, saw significant layoffs earlier this year.

"The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) should further strengthen coordination and cost-sharing for interregional lines through rulemaking under its existing authority, and work with Congress to expand its backstop-siting authority to overcome state-level permitting barriers," Lehane said.

The OpenAI exec also said that energy regulations should be 'modernized,' including tightening FERC Order Number 2023 timelines to create a fast track for shovel-ready projects.

Beyond energy, OpenAI highlighted the need for a wider skilled workforce. "An analysis commissioned by OpenAI of our own plans to build AI infrastructure in the US - with six Stargate sites already underway in Texas, New Mexico, Ohio, and Wisconsin, and more to come - finds that our plans over the next five years will require an estimated 20 percent of the existing workforces in skilled trades such as specialized electricians and mechanics," Lehane said.

"The country will need many more electricians, mechanics, metal and ironworkers, carpenters, plumbers, and other construction trade workers than we currently have. Americans will have new opportunities to train into these jobs and gain valuable, portable expertise."

The company also asked the US to create a strategic reserve "for the raw materials essential to AI infrastructure," including copper, aluminum, processed rare earth elements, and raw semiconductor materials.

"It would also reduce our dependence on the PRC, stabilize prices during shortages, and ensure secure access to materials vital for US AI infrastructure," Lehane said.