Sam Altman says OpenAI aims to use robots to build its data centers

The OpenAI CEO called self-replicating data centers "within grasp" as the company expands its robotics labs and plans a humanoid demo for 2027 OpenAI wants robots to build the buildings that house its AI. Then, eventually, it wants those buildings to help make more of themselves. On the Sources podcast, CEO Sam Altman laid out how the company’s robotics program fits into its infrastructure ambitions. He described self-replicating data centers as “within grasp.” What Altman actually described OpenAI is developing AI-controlled robots that can build data centers and the components that go inside them. Altman also confirmed that OpenAI is developing a humanoid robot. A demo is expected in 2027. He was careful to frame the body as secondary. In his telling, the intelligence supplied by OpenAI’s models, which he called the “brain,” matters more than the physical shape of the machine. The program is also aimed at a specific kind of work. The push is oriented toward supporting skilled labor rather than building gadgets for consumers. How fast the robotics effort has grown OpenAI revived its robotics initiatives in 2025. Its San Francisco robotics lab has been operating since February 2025...