OpenAI is on a hiring spree, and one area of investment stands out

• OpenAI is looking for new talent as it ramps up its data center ambitions.
• Dozens of open roles related to AI infrastructure are listed on the startup's website.
• The move comes as OpenAI starts to operate more independently of Microsoft.

As OpenAI lessens its reliance on Microsoft, the AI startup is looking to add workers with data center experience to its ranks.

Of the roughly 300 job listings on OpenAI's website at the time of publication, Business Insider counted more than 20 that appear to be directly related to data center development. Many of the open jobs involve building out the digital infrastructure that supports OpenAI's technology as the company uses more computing power.

OpenAI's infrastructure hiring push comes as the company starts to operate more independently of Microsoft, which had until recently served as OpenAI's exclusive cloud provider.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman posted about the company's hiring push in an X post on Sunday.

"If you are interested in infrastructure and very large-scale computing systems, the scale of what's happening at OpenAI right now is insane and we have very hard/interesting challenges. Please consider joining us! We could desperately use your help," Altman wrote.

The open roles cover a range of functions in departments across the company, from strategic finance to hardware, security, and scaling. One of the job descriptions explicitly mentions Stargate, OpenAI's $500 billion data center venture with Oracle and SoftBank. Most of the data center-related roles are based in San Francisco, though there are some openings in Seattle and New York. Only two of the jobs are remote-friendly.

When asked for comment on this story, Liz Bourgeois, head of OpenAI's policy communications, directed BI to Altman's post.

"In particular, if you have thought about how to squeeze max performance out of a system, we'd love to talk to you," Altman said on X.

In October 2024, Microsoft disclosed in an SEC filing that it had invested $13 billion in OpenAI. As of its last funding round from investors, including SoftBank, the startup is valued at $300 billion.

OpenAI has been using those funds to start securing GPU capacity to power its AI models directly from third parties and bringing in talent with data center design, construction, and capacity planning experience, TD Cowen analyst Michael Elias wrote in a research note in March.

OpenAI's data center hires

Some of the jobs OpenAI is hiring for deal directly with the building of physical data centers. The Stargate team, for instance, is looking for a Site Selection and Enablement Leader to oversee the process of determining where to build new facilities, negotiating power and land deals, and navigating state and local governments.

The company is also hiring for a Data Center Design Engineer with experience in power and mechanical systems, and a Data Center Lead for Physical Operations and Logistics to oversee on-site security and operations.

Between November 2024 and March 2025, OpenAI hired at least three data center leaders, including a Director of Infrastructure, Infrastructure Construction Lead, and Strategy and Operations Leader. The new employees came from Meta, Equinix, and SandboxAQ, an AI and quantum computing startup that had spun out of Alphabet.

Earlier this year, Lane Dilg, a former advisor in former president Joe Biden's Department of Energy who had been working in global affairs for OpenAI since 2023, transitioned to a role overseeing infrastructure policy and partnerships, according to LinkedIn.

Elias said the hires point "to the potential for OpenAI to begin self-building data centers in the medium to long term."

Meanwhile, Microsoft has begun to scale back its data center capacity investments, pausing construction projects and pulling out of leases with third parties.

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