Growing Energy Demand: OpenAI hiring for an Energy Policy Lead

OpenAI is looking for an Energy Policy Lead to align its ambitions for expanding its data center infrastructure with a sustainable energy policy. This will not be easy, as energy demand is rising rapidly, especially due to AI applications.

The Role of the Energy Policy Lead at OpenAI

The newly advertised position of Energy Policy Lead in OpenAI’s Global Affairs Team is intended to support the company’s massive infrastructure projects. The job’s responsibilities include developing energy policy proposals and actively participating in advocacy efforts. This means shaping and representing OpenAI’s positions on various energy industry topics, including energy generation and consumption, the design of renewable energy markets, ensuring grid reliability, as well as issues of grid integration and permitting processes for infrastructure projects. Another important area is the overall sustainability of the infrastructure. The Energy Policy Lead will work closely with various internal departments to ensure that the policy strategy aligns with technical requirements and corporate values. Externally, the person will build and maintain relationships with a variety of stakeholders. These include federal and state energy agencies such as the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), and Public Utility Commissions (PUCs), state regulatory bodies that deal with issues like gas, water, and telecommunications. Regional grid operators like ERCOT, energy providers, stakeholders, and partners from the clean energy sector are also important contacts. Although the primary geographic focus is on the United States, the role is also intended to support the global energy policy strategy and collaborate with regional leads.

Applicant Requirements and Financial Compensation

For this demanding position, OpenAI is looking for candidates with extensive experience in energy policy, infrastructure, or sustainability. Applicants should have between 10 and 15 years of professional experience gained in government agencies, utility companies, energy companies, or non-profit organizations. A deep expertise in several areas is expected, such as grid reliability, grid integration, permitting processes, energy markets, federal/state regulatory processes, the energy transition, and collaboration with energy providers. Key skills include the ability to collaborate effectively across different teams, translate complex technical infrastructure needs into clear and actionable policy strategies, and strong communication skills to reach diverse audiences from engineers to government officials to civil society groups. Strategic thinking and the ability to identify emerging issues and design proactive approaches to policy and partnership development are also prerequisites. The compensation for this position is between $280,000 and $325,000 per year, equivalent to between €240,000 and €280,000, supplemented by company equity.

The Dark Side of the AI Boom: Hunger for Energy and Resources

The need for such a position highlights the massive challenges brought by the artificial intelligence boom. The global electricity consumption of data centers, especially from new AI applications like ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google AI Overviews, is increasing rapidly and jeopardizing global climate goals. Tech giants like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft are expanding their capacities at an unprecedented pace. Although these companies are committed to renewable energy, the capacities from solar, wind, and hydropower are often insufficient to meet the constant, around-the-clock power demand of data centers. This leads to an increased reliance on fossil fuels like gas and coal. In the US state of Virginia, for example, electricity generation for the many data centers located there is set to double, which will require keeping coal power plants online longer and building new gas power plants. In Nebraska, too, the operation of a coal power plant is being extended and new gas power plants are planned due to the expansion of Google’s data centers. This leads to a so-called rebound effect, where a new, more efficient technology still results in an overall increase in emissions.

A particularly drastic example of this growing energy demand is OpenAI’s own plans. According to one report, the company is planning to build several huge data centers, each with an energy demand of 5 gigawatts. This output is equivalent to that of five nuclear reactors and could supply a major city with about three million households. Another example of this trend is the reactivation of the US nuclear power plant Three Mile Island to supply power to data centers for Microsoft, a partner of OpenAI.

In addition to the enormous electricity consumption, data centers also require large amounts of water for cooling. An average 100-megawatt data center in the U.S. consumes about two million liters of water daily. Projections suggest that the sector’s annual global water consumption could rise to as much as 1,200 billion liters by 2030. The main cause is the common use of evaporative cooling for servers, where about 80 percent of the water evaporates. It is particularly critical that nearly two-thirds of the data centers built or under development since 2022 are located in regions with already scarce water supplies, such as California, Arizona, Texas, Illinois, and Virginia in the U.S., as well as in arid regions like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The international competition in expanding data center capacities, for example between the USA, China, and Europe, further fuels this demand for energy and water. As long as the growth in electricity demand outpaces the increase in renewable power generation, a significant reduction in CO2 emissions will hardly be realistic.