OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has resigned from the board of directors of Helion Energy- a nuclear fusion startup- in order to avoid conflict of interest as the AI company prepares to purchase significant amounts of fusion-generated electricity from Helion to power its energy-intensive AI data centers and infrastructure.
After having served as one of the directors in Helion Energy for the past 11 years, Altman has resigned in the wake of media reports that OpenAI is in talks with Helion to purchase electricity from them.
“Sam Altman is stepping down from Helion’s Board of Directors. This decision enables Helion and OpenAI to explore future partnerships to bring zero-carbon, safe electricity to the world, which Helion is perfectly poised to deliver,” said David Kirtley, Helion Energy’s CEO, in a post on X.
According to an Axios report, the deal between OpenAI and Helion Energy is in its advanced stages with the framework targeting 5 GW by 2030 and potentially scaling to 50GW by 2035.
Altman clarified that he still has financial interests in Helion, therefore he has recused himself from negotiations. Set up in 2015, Helion Energy as a startup was promoted by Altman
“As Helion and OpenAI start to explore working together at significant scale, it is difficult for me to be on both boards. (I will have a financial interest in Helion so still be recused from negotiations, but from a governance perspective this will make things easier for both companies,” said Altman in an X post.
I have loved being on the Helion board; I continue to be extremely excited about a future with abundant energy and Helion in particular.
As Helion and OpenAI start to explore working together at significant scale, it is difficult for me to be on both boards. (I will have a… https://t.co/hbc82a8mPG
— Sam Altman (@sama) March 23, 2026
Altman’s resignation from Helion’s Board of Directors has followed a similar trajectory as he had resigned from chair of Oklo back in 2025 for OpenAI to form a partnership with it. Critics say that despite Altman recusing himself at the last moment from the deals to avoid obvious conflict of interest, one cannot ignore how the AI entrepreneur has engaged his personal portfolio to funnel OpenAI’s massive energy demands.
