Altman Exits Helion Board as OpenAI Negotiates Fusion Power Deal: 5 GW by 2030, 50 GW by 2035

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OpenAI is in advanced talks to buy 12.5% of Helion Energy's fusion output — 5 GW by 2030 and 50 GW by 2035 — which would require building 800 reactors in four years and 8,000 by 2035. Altman stepped down as Helion board chair to avoid conflict of interest, formally recusing himself from deal discussions. Microsoft signed a similar Helion deal in 2023 for power starting in 2028, and the scale of OpenAI's proposed commitment signals how seriously AI labs are betting on fusion as the energy bottleneck solution.