San Francisco-based startup OpenAI has appointed BlackRock Inc. executive Adebayo Ogunlesi to its board of directors, drawing on his experience investing in infrastructure as the startup pushes for more data centers and energy resources to support the development of artificial intelligence.
According to Bloomberg, Ogunlesi, a senior managing director and board member at BlackRock, joined the asset management firm last year after it acquired his company, Global Infrastructure Partners, for $12.5 billion.
A lawyer and Investment banker, Nigerian-born Ogunlesi has several decades of leadership experience in the financial services industry, including investment banking and private equity.
OpenAI has previously stated that its board is evaluating a plan to restructure from a nonprofit research organization into a public benefit corporation. The change would be attractive to investors, but requires cooperation and coordination between the company’s board, investors and various regulators.
The US-based startup also said Tuesday that Ogunlesi’s advice “will be invaluable as we navigate the global transformation of AI infrastructure, drive innovation, and foster economic growth.”
With the addition of Ogunlesi, OpenAI’s board now has 10 directors, including Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman, Quora CEO Adam D’Angelo, Instacart CEO Fidji Simo and retired US Army General Paul Nakasone.
OpenAI’s team has spent much of the past year urging the public and private sectors to support expensive infrastructure projects that the ChatGPT maker believes are necessary to build more advanced AI systems.
