OpenAI Data Center Executive Exits as Firm Shifts Strategy to Leasing Compute Facilities

OpenAI has confirmed the departure of Chris Malone, its head of data centers, as the artificial intelligence company restructures its infrastructure operations and shifts focus toward leasing third-party facilities. An OpenAI spokesperson confirmed the exit to Bloomberg following an initial report by The Wall Street Journal, as noted by The Next Web.

Malone originally joined OpenAI in March 2025, shortly after the company announced Stargate, an infrastructure program managed in collaboration with Oracle and SoftBank. The initiative's flagship site is currently under construction in Abilene, Texas. Rather than appointing a direct replacement for Malone, OpenAI has split his former duties across multiple roles and selected an unnamed chief technology officer to lead computing capacity management.

The division of responsibilities comes as OpenAI revives efforts focused on leasing entire data center sites rather than building facilities directly. While constructing data centers requires acquiring real estate, obtaining permits, and committing to long-term power grid arrangements, leasing allows the company to rapidly secure capacity pre-financed by third parties. Alongside the pivot toward leasing, OpenAI listed a job posting for a power trading lead in August, signaling an effort to manage energy commitments as direct balance-sheet positions.

OpenAI is pursuing significant infrastructure projects across the United States, including a planned $30 billion data center in Georgia and developments in Ohio, where Nvidia has discussed guaranteeing $250 billion in financing for facilities housing its hardware. The financial scale of these projects involves heavy commitments from partners; Oracle reported that a single AI data center could create a $7 billion power guarantee exposure, while SoftBank raised a $60 billion bond partly to support its OpenAI investments.

Malone's exit is part of a broader string of high-level leadership changes at the organization, marking seven senior departures or executive replacements since April. Former product chief Kevin Weil left the company in April, and the head of safety departed in July after safety functions were reintegrated into the research department. Fidji Simo, who oversaw core business operations, stepped down last month following medical leave, while chief operating officer Brad Lightcap announced his departure this month after eight years at the company.

The leadership team has also seen recent churn in its commercial organization. Two weeks ago, OpenAI named Dali Rajic, former president and chief operating officer of Alphabet-owned cybersecurity firm Wiz, as its new chief revenue officer. Rajic replaced former Slack chief executive Denise Dresser, who held the revenue post for under a year after taking the position in December.

The executive shuffle takes place as OpenAI prepares for a future public market debut. Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar informed staff last week that the company plans to go public by 2027 or earlier. As OpenAI aligns its management structure for a prospective initial public offering, it must manage key-person dependencies and address regulatory disclosures regarding its extensive, multi-billion-dollar compute commitments.