Sam Altman sides with Trump in opposing bureaucratic blocks to building AI infrastructure

• Sam Altman is hoping Donald Trump's second administration will benefit AI developers like OpenAI.
• Altman said in a new interview the most helpful thing Trump can do for AI is invest in new infrastructure.
• He sided with Trump's opposition to bureaucratic blockades, saying it's "difficult" to build in the US.

Sam Altman says he doesn't agree with President-elect Donald Trump on everything, but he does believe that the US has a problem with bureaucracy stifling innovation.

In an interview with Bloomberg, the OpenAI CEO described his hopes for the AI landscape under the next Trump administration, which he said he believes should come with substantial investment in new, US-built infrastructure.

"The thing I really deeply agree with the president on is, it is wild how difficult it has become to build things in the United States," Altman said. "Power plants, data centers, any of that kind of stuff. I understand how bureaucratic cruft builds up, but it's not helpful to the country in general."

He added: "It's particularly not helpful when you think about what needs to happen for the US to lead AI. And the US really needs to lead AI."

Altman suggested that AI isn't the only industry where regulation is hindering infrastructure development. He added that it's a hurdle for the fusion power startup Helion, which he's invested in. In July, Helion received a license from the Washington State Department of Health, allowing the company to use radioactive byproduct materials to operate its fusion generator.

"Soon there will be a demonstration of net-gain fusion. You then have to build a system that doesn't break. You have to scale it up," Altman said. "You have to figure out how to build a factory — build a lot of them — and you have to get regulatory approval. And that will take, you know, years altogether?

Oklo, another Altman-backed nuclear power company, has yet to receive approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission after its previous application was denied in 2022, Tech Crunch reported.

In addition to siding with Trump on a looser approach to regulation and infrastructure development, Altman also hedged his prior support of the CHIPS Act, a multibillion-dollar manufacturing incentive for semiconductor production pushed forward by President Joe Biden's administration.

"I think the CHIPS Act was better than doing nothing but not the thing that we should have done," Altman said. "And I think there's a real opportunity to do something much better as a follow-on. I don't think the CHIPS Act has been as effective as any of us hoped."

The OpenAI chief reportedly wants to raise trillions of dollars to address the global chip shortage, and according to the Wall Street Journal, has held talks with international investors to raise the funds, including from the United Arab Emirates.

Representatives for the Trump transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. OpenAI declined to comment.

Altman has donated $1 million of his personal funds to Trump's inauguration fund, saying in December that the President-elect "will lead our country into the age of AI, and I am eager to support his efforts to ensure America stays ahead," Business Insider previously reported.

He told Bloomberg he supports "any president," adding that he believes "AGI will probably get developed during this president's term, and getting that right seems really important."

"Supporting the inauguration, I think that's a relatively small thing," Altman said. "I don't view that as a big decision either way. But I do think we all should wish for the president's success."

As the second Trump administration is set to begin later this month, Altman isn't the only executive angling to help shape policy over the next four years with substantial donations to his office. BI previously reported companies including Meta, Amazon, Uber, Ford, and Toyota have donated $1 million each to Trump's inaugural fund.