The Circuit with Emily Chang Inside Stargate with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman
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May 21, 2025 
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI and a prominent figure in AI research, shares insights from his visit to the Stargate site in Texas. He discusses the ambitious $500 billion project aimed at revolutionizing AI and explores its potential impacts on healthcare and job displacement. Altman addresses the importance of tech partnerships and governmental support in advancing the initiative. He also reflects on the evolving landscape of AI, looking at both the excitement and skepticism surrounding its future, combining personal anecdotes with industry trends.
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Altman's Data Center Visit Story
- Sam Altman visits the Stargate data center in Abilene, Texas and sees rapid construction and effort firsthand.
- Despite his lack of expertise in data centers, he shares his strong opinions which the team tries to manage diplomatically.
Demand Outpaced Compute Expectations
- OpenAI underestimated the user demand on their models compared to compute needs to train them.
- Usage growth turned the compute infrastructure into the biggest infrastructure project in history.
Viral Launch Strains Compute
- The rapid viral launch of GPT-4's image generation caused unprecedented compute demand.
- OpenAI had to borrow compute from research and slow some features to manage the surge.