OpenAI Loses Data Center Chief Amid $600 Billion Compute Buildout

3 articles · Updated · CNBC · Aug 25

Chris Malone, who led OpenAI’s data center efforts after joining in March 2025, has left the company, extending a run of senior departures as the AI firm prepares for a public listing.
OpenAI said it recently reorganized its infrastructure group to match the scale and pace of its work, adding that an experienced data center team remains in place to execute plans.
That work is central to OpenAI’s target to spend about $600 billion on compute by 2030, even as U.S. political backlash against data centers grows ahead of the midterm cycle.
Malone follows revenue chief Denise Dresser, longtime executive Brad Lightcap and former product and business chief Fidji Simo out the door, after four other executives left in April.
The exits are drawing investor attention as OpenAI seeks to support an $852 billion valuation; it filed confidentially for an IPO in June, and CFO Sarah Friar told staff it will be public in 2027.