OpenAI Negotiates Fusion Energy Deal From Sam Altman's Own Startup

OpenAI is in advanced negotiations to purchase electricity from Helion Energy, a fusion startup where CEO Sam Altman has personally invested close to $375 million. The news was first reported by Axios on Monday.

The deal, which could potentially scale to 50 gigawatts by 2035, immediately puts a spotlight on a clear conflict of interest. Altman has taken steps back: he has resigned from Helion's board and recused himself from the ongoing OpenAI negotiations. This is the second time he has done so — in April 2025, he stepped down as board chair of nuclear startup Oklo for the same reason.

Helion does not directly confirm the deal discussions, but CEO David Kirtley stated in an email that Altman's departure enables future opportunities to bring "zero-carbon, safe electricity to the world" in partnership with OpenAI.

Altman invested in Helion back in 2021 and led the company's $500 million funding round. He participated again in a $425 million round in January 2025. The potential OpenAI-Helion deal would be among the largest energy initiatives in the AI industry, symptomatic of a field where the energy demands of training runs and inference are growing exponentially.

The question hanging in the air: Can a company with Altman's dual roles genuinely protect shareholder interests at both ends? That the story repeats itself is remarkable in itself.

Fusion power remains technically immature, and Helion has not yet announced commercial production. But the signal effect is clear: AI giants are securing energy for the future, and they are willing to stretch far to do it.