In a recently surfaced letter, OpenAI has asked the Trump administration to expand the Chips Act tax credit to include AI data centers, servers, and power infrastructure — a move the company says is essential to accelerating America’s AI leadership.

The letter, signed by Chris Lehane, OpenAI’s chief global affairs officer, was addressed to Michael Kratsios, the White House’s director of science and technology policy. In it, Lehane argued that the government should broaden the Advanced Manufacturing Investment Credit (AMIC) beyond semiconductor fabrication to include the components that power AI systems.

“Broadening coverage of the AMIC will lower the effective cost of capital, de-risk early investment, and unlock private capital to help alleviate bottlenecks and accelerate the AI build in the U.S.,” Lehane wrote.

The AMIC, originally created under the Chips Act, currently offers a 35% tax credit for semiconductor manufacturing. OpenAI’s request marks the first major call by an AI company to expand the Chips Act tax credit to other parts of the AI ecosystem.

Why OpenAI Wants the Chips Act Tax Credit Expanded

OpenAI’s letter highlights growing concerns that U.S. infrastructure — especially power grids and data centers — is not scaling fast enough to meet the computational demands of modern AI systems like GPT-4o and beyond.

The company says expanding the OpenAI Chips Act tax credit to cover AI infrastructure could help alleviate these constraints by encouraging faster construction and private investment.

The letter also called for:

• Faster environmental permitting for AI and data infrastructure projects.
• Creation of a strategic reserve for key raw materials like copper, aluminum, and rare earth minerals.
• Increased investment in grid modernization to support high-energy AI workloads.

Lehane wrote that such actions would “strengthen U.S. competitiveness” and ensure that the next generation of AI development happens on American soil.

Tying Into OpenAI’s Massive Data Center Ambitions

The OpenAI Chips Act tax credit proposal comes amid the company’s aggressive push to expand its global data center network. CEO Sam Altman recently revealed that OpenAI has made $1.4 trillion in capital commitments for data centers over the next eight years.

Altman also said OpenAI expects to surpass $20 billion in annualized revenue by the end of 2025, and grow to “hundreds of billions” by 2030.

With that scale of investment, OpenAI argues that supportive government policies — like an expanded Chips Act tax credit — could be crucial in making AI infrastructure economically viable in the U.S.

The Political and Economic Context Behind the Request

Although the OpenAI Chips Act tax credit proposal was first published on October 27, it only gained widespread attention this week following comments from company executives.

At a Wall Street Journal event, OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar suggested that the U.S. government should “backstop” the company’s infrastructure loans. Her remarks sparked controversy, prompting her to later clarify on LinkedIn:

“OpenAI is not seeking a government backstop for our infrastructure commitments. I used the word ‘backstop’ and it muddied the point.”

Altman later echoed that sentiment, stating on X (formerly Twitter):

“We do not have or want government guarantees for OpenAI data centers. We believe governments should not pick winners or losers, and that taxpayers should not bail out companies that make bad business decisions.”

However, Altman did acknowledge that OpenAI has discussed loan guarantees with the government in relation to supporting semiconductor manufacturing — a key pillar of the original Chips Act.

Why Expanding the Chips Act Tax Credit Matters

Analysts say the OpenAI Chips Act tax credit proposal could influence broader policy discussions about how to support the U.S. AI industry.

While the original Chips Act focused primarily on semiconductor fabrication, expanding it to include AI data centers would signal a shift in Washington’s strategy — from chip manufacturing to AI infrastructure enablement.

This would align with OpenAI’s argument that compute power — not just chip production — is now the limiting factor in the AI race.

As AI models grow exponentially larger, so do their infrastructure needs, from massive GPU clusters to dedicated power supply systems. Industry leaders believe these challenges will define the next decade of technological competition between the U.S. and China.

A Push for a More AI-Ready America

The OpenAI Chips Act tax credit request ultimately reflects a broader vision: transforming the U.S. into a global hub for AI development.

By including AI servers, grid infrastructure, and data centers under the Chips Act’s financial umbrella, OpenAI hopes to create a more sustainable foundation for innovation.

Whether the Trump administration acts on that request remains to be seen. But one thing is clear — AI companies like OpenAI are no longer just asking for server racks; they’re asking for national-scale infrastructure support.

And with trillion-dollar ambitions on the horizon, this may just be the beginning of a much larger policy debate over who pays for the future of artificial intelligence.