Microsoft to urge senators to speed permitting for AI, boost government data access

WASHINGTON, May 7 (Reuters) - Microsoft MSFT.O President Brad Smith on Thursday will urge U.S. lawmakers to streamline federal permitting for artificial intelligence energy needs and open more government data sets for AI training, according to written testimony seen by Reuters.

"America’s advanced economy relies on 50-year-old infrastructure that cannot meet the increasing electricity demands driven by AI, reshoring of manufacturing, and increased electrification," Smith's written testimony for the Senate Commerce Committee AI hearing says.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman will tell the committee that "as AI systems become more capable, people will want to use them even more. Meeting that demand requires more chips, training data, energy, and supercomputers."