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OpenAI’s Sam Altman Urges U.S. to Expand Chips Act Tax Credit for AI Development

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OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on Friday called for the United States to broaden eligibility under the Chips Act’s Advanced Manufacturing Investment Credit (AMIC), arguing that expanding the incentive to include AI data centers, server production, and grid infrastructure is essential for maintaining U.S. leadership in artificial intelligence.

Altman’s comments follow a letter sent by OpenAI’s Chief Global Affairs Officer Chris Lehane on October 27 to White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios, formally requesting that the AMIC cover AI infrastructure beyond semiconductor fabrication.

“The U.S. needs re-industrialization across the entire stack — fabs, turbines, transformers, steel, and much more,” Altman said on X (formerly Twitter). “That will help everyone in our industry, and other industries, including us.”

Altman emphasized that the request was “very different from loan guarantees to OpenAI,” clarifying that the company is not seeking direct federal funding for its operations. Earlier this week, he confirmed that OpenAI had discussed potential federal loan guarantees for chip factory construction, but not for data centers.

OpenAI has pledged to invest $1.4 trillion over the next eight years to expand its computational infrastructure, reflecting the skyrocketing demand for AI models and chips that power applications like ChatGPT.

As AI becomes a cornerstone of global technology competition, the Biden administration faces growing pressure to balance industrial policy and fiscal discipline. White House AI and crypto czar David Sacks recently reiterated that there will be no federal bailout for AI companies, underscoring Washington’s cautious stance despite mounting private-sector investment.

Underwater Cables: The Hidden Arteries of the AI Boom and Global Internet

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Deep beneath the oceans lies one of the most crucial — yet least visible — components of modern life: underwater communication cables. Nearly 95% of the world’s international data and voice traffic flows through this vast network of almost one million miles of fiber-optic lines connecting continents.

These cables carry everything from financial transactions and government communications to video calls, cloud services, and AI data transfers. As artificial intelligence grows more data-hungry, investment in subsea infrastructure is accelerating at record speed.

Between 2025 and 2027, global spending on subsea cables is expected to reach $13 billion, nearly double the investment made over the previous three years, according to TeleGeography.

“AI is increasing the need that we have for subsea infrastructure,” said Alex Aime, vice president of network investments at Meta. “Without that connectivity, you just have expensive warehouses.”

Tech giants are now the biggest investors. Meta’s Project Waterworth, a 50,000-kilometer cable linking five continents, will be the longest in the world. Amazon’s Fastnet, connecting the U.S. and Ireland, will deliver speeds equivalent to streaming 12.5 million HD movies simultaneously. Google has funded over 30 subsea systems, while Microsoft has invested in others to bolster its Azure cloud network.

But as global reliance on these cables deepens, so do concerns about security and resilience. Damaged or sabotaged cables can cut off entire nations — as seen when Tonga lost internet access after a volcanic eruption in 2022.

While most damage stems from accidents — fishing nets or dropped anchors — analysts have noted a rise in suspected sabotage near Taiwan and in the Baltic Sea, often coinciding with geopolitical tensions. In response, NATO launched “Baltic Sentry” in early 2025 to protect critical subsea infrastructure.

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has also tightened rules on foreign ownership of cable systems, citing threats from China and Russia. “We’re making it difficult to connect undersea cables directly from the U.S. to adversary nations,” said FCC Chair Brendan Carr.

From the 1850 telegraph line between Dover and Calais to AI-era fiber networks, subsea cables remain the unseen lifeline of global communication — and the quiet battleground of the world’s next digital conflict.

Microsoft Signs $9.7 Billion Cloud Deal with IREN to Boost AI Computing Power

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Microsoft has signed a $9.7 billion cloud computing deal with U.S.-based data center operator IREN to expand its artificial intelligence infrastructure and ease ongoing computing bottlenecks. The agreement, which includes access to Nvidia’s powerful GB300 chips, underscores the growing global demand for AI processing capacity.

Shares of IREN surged nearly 25% to a record high following the announcement before settling up around 10%. Dell Technologies, which will supply Nvidia’s advanced chips and related equipment to IREN, also gained about 1%. Under the five-year agreement, Microsoft will use roughly $5.8 billion worth of IREN’s computing hardware and infrastructure capacity.

The deal allows Microsoft to scale its AI operations without immediately building new data centers or acquiring additional power resources — key hurdles that have limited the company’s ability to meet soaring demand for applications like ChatGPT and Copilot. The approach also helps reduce heavy capital spending on rapidly depreciating hardware as newer processors enter the market.

IREN operates data centers across North America with a total capacity of 2,910 megawatts. The Nvidia chips will be deployed in phases through 2026 at the company’s 750-megawatt facility in Childress, Texas, which will include liquid-cooled centers providing 200 megawatts of new IT capacity.

The deal follows Microsoft’s recent $17.4 billion agreement with AI cloud provider Nebius and reflects the company’s strategy to leverage “neocloud” partners such as IREN and CoreWeave to expand capacity. IREN said Microsoft’s prepayment will help fund its $5.8 billion Dell contract, though the deal could be canceled if deadlines are missed.