Unlock the Helion Power Accord as the AI ​​race pushes the fusion power push

OpenAI is in advanced talks to buy electricity from Helion Energy, the Sam Altman-backed fusion startup, a sign that the company is looking beyond chips and data centers and focusing directly on long-term energy supply.

The framework under discussion would give OpenAI an initial 12.5% ​​share of Helion's production, equivalent to 5 gigawatts in 2030 and 50 gigawatts in 2035, Axios reports.

An allocation of 5 gigawatts would rank as a large energy commitment for any single customer, while 50 gigawatts would align OpenAI's future energy needs with national infrastructure planning. The reported conversations show how quickly AI labs are moving from software narratives to robust energy procurement.

Helion has become one of the most closely watched fusion companies in the private market. The company announced a $425 million Series F in January 2025, which was valued at $5.425 billion in post-funding and brought total funding to over $1 billion.

Backers include SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Mithril Capital, Dustin Moskowitz at Good Ventures Foundation and Sam Altman, who previously led Helion's $500 million Series E round in 2021.

Axios reports that Altman has resigned as chairman of Helion's board, will no longer be involved with the board and has recused himself from OpenAI deal discussions. That's important because Helion isn't another vendor candidate. It's one of the biggest personal bets tied to Altman's broad vision that abundant energy will be necessary to scale AI.

The catch is that the merger still hasn't crossed the commercial finish line. Axios says Helion believes it is nearing scientific breakthrough, a key milestone where the fusion process can produce more energy than it consumes, but no private company has yet reached that stage. OpenAI talks are also said to remain conditional, with major issues still unresolved, including where Helion will actually produce its power.

Hellion in 2010 It signed the first integrated power purchase agreement with Microsoft in 2023, which is planned to deliver at least 50 megawatts from the first plant by 2028. By July 2025, Helion said it had acquired land and begun construction for that first fusion power plant.

Google has taken a parallel route with Helion's rival, the Commonwealth Fusion System. In June 2025, Google signed a deal to buy 200 megawatts of CFS's first ARC plant in Virginia, a transaction described by both companies as a major integration milestone.