No one within Microsoft or OpenAI even knew whether Phase 5 was technically possible. In Microsoft and OpenAI’s design plans, The Information later reported, the $100 billion facility could need as much as 5,000 megawatts, nearly matching the average power demands of all of New York City. While the plan didn’t seem the most financially sound as a business investment, money wasn’t the main bottleneck. It was energy. “We’re running out of land and power,” an OpenAI employee says. Within both companies, it was understood that Phase 5 would only become possible with some amount of innovation.
