OpenAI's computing chief is set to leave amid a $750 billion infrastructure push

The departure of Sachin Katti, who joined in late 2025 to oversee OpenAI's Stargate data center effort, highlights the operational demands of scaling AI infrastructure. Katti worked to secure computing agreements with providers like Amazon Web Services and to revive plans for OpenAI to lease its own data centers. An example of this effort was securing a 10-gigawatt data center lease with SB Energy, which carried a financial guarantee from Nvidia. These actions underscore the complex and capital-intensive nature of building out the necessary computing power for advanced AI models.

OpenAI's decision to raise its computing-power spending forecast by $150 billion, from $600 billion to $750 billion by 2030, suggests a growing internal understanding of the immense resource requirements for its future AI ambitions. This substantial increase, in addition to a separate commitment of more than $1.4 trillion earmarked for AI infrastructure, indicates that the strategic shift towards direct data center leases and securing diverse computing agreements is likely driven by the sheer scale of anticipated needs.

The transition in leadership for computing strategy, with Uday Ruddarraju taking over, occurs amidst a period of other executive changes at OpenAI. Katti's exit follows the announced departures of the Chief Revenue Officer and Chief Operating Officer, and precedes the company's confidential IPO prospectus submission. Such changes in a critical area like computing infrastructure could reflect evolving internal priorities or operational approaches as OpenAI prepares for its next phase.