OpenAI is growing the size of its Washington D.C. policy team with the expectation that the Trump administration will be friendlier to tech giants.

The newly-tripled 12-person policy team isn’t anywhere near the size of Meta or Amazon, but is hoping to catch up with a federal embrace of AI.

One of the ways they want to appeal to lawmakers is by promoting the idea of cheaper energy to data centers along with pushing them to embrace AI in the nation’s economic and security competition with China.

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“You could call this the third era of the digital economy, depending how you want to count. We’re at the front end of a deep tech period that’s going to be incredibly transformative,” Chris Lehane, the company’s head of global affairs told Politico. “I think you will see us really looking to engage in stuff that goes well beyond the traditional partnerships.”

The addition of tech scions Elon Musk and David Sacks to the Trump administration has driven enthusiasm around OpenAI that lawmakers, particularly Republicans, will be open to their ideas.

The previous Biden administration spent a significant amount of time drafting regulations for the AI industry, and OpenAI is hoping to avoid a repeat of the Democrat’s stance against them.

OpenAI is hoping — along with a variety of new hires entrenched in the political establishment like previous Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) aides Matt Rimkunas and Meghan Dorn — to crack skepticism across the board with the idea that the United States does not want to fall behind China in AI.

“You absolutely want to make sure that America wins on AI,” LeHane said. “And for America to be first on AI, OpenAI is going to have to be amongst the first companies that you’re engaging with.”

OpenAI’s new policy team also includes former Biden administration personnel Morgan Dwyer and Ben Schwartz, who served in the CHIPs program office. Former Defense Department deputy undersecretary Sasha Baker will advise the company on national security, while former White House CHIPS coordinator Aaron “Ronnie” Chatterji will be their chief economist.

Republicans are hoping to better utilize AI by installing data centers near energy sources. That’s a move supported by OpenAI, which is marketing an energy plan that calls “AI economic zones” with expedited permitting to build data centers and a national electrical transmission highway to power them.

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While the company will have to compete with Musk’s xAI for Trump’s and GOP attention, they remain a pioneer among AI companies with their ChatGPT software.

And with Trump’s willingness to “drill baby drill” for cheaper energy and his endeavor, Altman says, to “lead our country into the age of AI,” OpenAI may find success in the new year.