OpenAI Researcher: Physical Science Progress Will Outpace Expectations on Compute and Simulation Overhang
sschoenholz · x · 2026-10-08
OpenAI researcher Sam Schoenholz argues that progress in the physical sciences will come faster than expected, for three reasons:
- There is likely a large overhang in simulation quality.
- Simulations are basically verifiable.
- There is an enormous compute overhang.
His core logic: verifiability plus abundant compute plus headroom in simulation quality means AI could deliver results in physical science sooner than most expect.
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