Sam Altman’s Helion in Discussions to Supply Power to OpenAI

Amid reported negotiations, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is stepping down from his role as board chairman at Helion, the fusion energy startup he supports.

As reported by Axios, a potential deal in its early stages could secure OpenAI 12.5% of Helion’s projected power output—five gigawatts by 2030 and fifty gigawatts by 2035. This follows a similar 2023 agreement where Helion partner Microsoft committed to purchasing power starting in 2028.

If the reported figures are accurate, they indicate Helion's confidence in rapidly scaling its fusion power plant deployment. The company states each reactor generates 50 megawatts, meaning it would need to deploy 800 units by 2030 and an additional 7,200 by 2035 to meet these targets.

Helion declined to confirm ongoing talks with OpenAI. A company spokesperson told TechCrunch that beyond existing agreements with Microsoft and Nucor, no new customer deals have been announced. However, Helion confirmed Altman's departure as board chair, hinting at potential future collaboration between the companies.

“After more than a decade, Sam is stepping down from Helion’s Board of Directors. This move allows Helion and OpenAI to explore future opportunities for delivering safe, zero-carbon electricity worldwide,” David Kirtley, Helion's co-founder and CEO, said in a statement to TechCrunch. “We look forward to working with him in this new capacity.”

Helion is working to construct its first commercial-scale reactor by 2028. Success would position the startup years ahead of most competitors, who generally target the early 2030s for commercial operations.

Last year, the company secured $425 million in funding from investors including Sam Altman, Mithril, Lightspeed, and SoftBank.

While most fusion startups aim to capture heat from reactions to drive steam turbines, Helion is pursuing a distinct method. Its reactor design uses magnetic fields to directly convert fusion energy into electricity.

Inside its hourglass-shaped reactor, fusion fuel is first converted into plasma at both ends. Magnetic fields then propel these plasmas toward each other. Upon collision at the center, another set of magnets compresses the combined plasma until fusion occurs. The energy from this reaction pushes against the magnets, enabling direct electricity generation.

Helion is currently testing its Polaris prototype ahead of the commercial push. In February, the reactor achieved plasma temperatures of 150 million degrees Celsius, approaching the 200 million degrees Celsius required for commercial power generation.

Although Altman has resigned as board chair and reportedly recused himself from negotiations, his influence is evident in facilitating this potential partnership.

A similar situation occurred last year when Altman stepped down as board chair of Oklo, a small modular reactor startup that merged with his acquisition company, AltC. That move was intended to allow Oklo to pursue strategic partnerships with leading AI firms, potentially including OpenAI, as Oklo's co-founder Caroline Cochran stated in a previous CNBC report.

Update 1:30 pm ET: Added confirmation from Helion regarding Altman stepping down as board chair.