Altman Says Cloud Data Centers Should Maximize Scarce DRAM Use

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman argued that scarce DRAM should be used more intensively in cloud data centers, framing personal-computer memory as an inefficient use of limited supply.

During a discussion published Oct. 29, Altman said running open-source AI models on personal computers would not eliminate the need for data centers. He called for greater use of cloud memory to address constrained supply.

“You want maximum utilization in the cloud if you're trying to deal with this very supply constrained environment,” Altman said. He also said personal-computer memory was being used 5% of the time, but did not explain how he measured the figure.

Altman also discussed OpenAI’s robotics program and its focus on building more data centers.