OpenAI’s Head Of Data Centers Chris Malone Departs Amid Leadership Changes

Chris Malone has left OpenAI after 18 months as head of data centers, amid several recent executive departures and changes within the company’s data center team. Malone joined OpenAI from Meta, where he spent nearly five years as a distinguished engineer. Before that, he worked at Google for almost 12 years on data center infrastructure and IT hardware. He previously worked alongside infrastructure chief Keith Heyde, who also left OpenAI earlier this year. Peter Hoeschele, who led the Stargate joint venture, also departed around the same time.

In March, OpenAI split its compute and infrastructure operations into three teams focused on data center design, commercial partnerships, and managing existing facilities. Intel’s Sachin Katti continues to oversee Stargate, while former Apple director Spas Lazarov leads data center engineering. Uday Ruddarraju became CTO of compute in July, while former xAI executive Brent Mayo now heads data center build and delivery.

Beyond Stargate, OpenAI has seen several senior executives depart, including chief revenue officer Denise Dresser, COO Brad Lightcap, and Fidji Simo, a key lieutenant to CEO Sam Altman. The company is reportedly preparing for an IPO next year while projecting around $750 billion in compute spending through 2030.