Sam Altman, the former president of Y Combinator and the current CEO of OpenAI, has announced a bold plan to raise $7 trillion to build semiconductor factories around the world.
In a blog post published on his website, Altman explained his vision for creating a global network of chip production facilities that would enable faster and cheaper innovation in artificial intelligence, biotechnology, quantum computing and other fields.
Altman argued that semiconductors are the key to unlocking the potential of human creativity and solving the most pressing challenges facing humanity. He cited the example of how Moore’s Law, the observation that the number of transistors on a chip doubles every two years, has driven exponential progress in computing power and enabled breakthroughs in various domains.
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However, he also noted that Moore’s Law is slowing down and that the current supply chain of semiconductors is vulnerable to geopolitical tensions, trade wars and natural disasters.
To address these issues, Altman proposed to create a new organization called Semiconductors for Humanity (SFH), which would raise $7 trillion from private investors, governments and philanthropists. The funds would be used to build at least 100 semiconductor factories in different countries, with a target of producing 10 billion chips per year by 2030.
Altman claimed that this would create millions of jobs, reduce the cost of chips by 90%, increase the speed of chip development by 10x and generate $100 trillion in economic value over the next decade.
Altman said that SFH would operate as a non-profit entity that would distribute the chips to anyone who needs them, regardless of their location, background or purpose. He said that SFH would not impose any restrictions or conditions on how the chips are used, as long as they are not used for malicious or destructive purposes. He said that SFH would rely on the principles of openness, transparency and collaboration to ensure that the chips are used for the benefit of humanity.
One of the questions that might arise is how SFH will distribute the chips among the various users and applications. Altman said that SFH will use a simple and fair mechanism based on demand and availability. He said that SFH will have a website where anyone can request chips for their projects or products.
He said that SFH will allocate chips according to the order of requests, the quantity of chips requested and the availability of chips in stock. He said that SFH will charge a nominal fee for shipping and handling, but otherwise the chips will be free of charge. He said that SFH will also publish regular reports on how many chips have been distributed, to whom and for what purposes.
Altman acknowledged that his plan is ambitious and risky, but he also expressed confidence that it is feasible and necessary. He said that he has already secured commitments from some of the world’s leading investors, entrepreneurs and scientists to support his initiative. He also invited anyone who shares his vision to join him in making it a reality. He said that he will provide more details about SFH in the coming weeks and months.
Altman concluded his blog post by saying: “I believe that semiconductors are the most important technology of our time. They are the foundation of everything we do and everything we aspire to do. By building more semiconductor factories, we can accelerate the pace of innovation, improve the quality of life for billions of people and create a brighter future for humanity.”