Texas: OpenAI, Oracle, and Japan’s SoftBank have planned to construct five new artificial intelligence (AI) data centres across the United States as part of their massive $500 billion Stargate initiative.
Launched earlier this year under the leadership of US President Donald Trump alongside top tech executives, Stargate aims to build the AI infrastructure needed to power the next generation of computing.
OpenAI revealed it will open three new sites with Oracle in Shackelford County, Texas, Dona Ana County, New Mexico, and another undisclosed location in the Midwest.
Two additional facilities are planned for Lordstown, Ohio, and Milam County, Texas, in partnership with SoftBank and its affiliate. With the expansion, Stargate’s total data centre capacity is projected to reach nearly 7 gigawatts and more than $400 billion in investments within the next three years. The overall project target is 10 gigawatts of capacity, supported by an estimated $500 billion in spending.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman stated that, “AI can only fulfill its promise if we build the compute to power it.”
The five new sites are expected to create around 25,000 on-site jobs. The announcement comes a day after Nvidia (NVDA.O) pledged up to $100 billion in investments to OpenAI and committed to supplying advanced data centre chips.
Stargate is being financed partly through debt, with partners planning to lease high-powered chips to meet infrastructure demands. OpenAI, its key backer Microsoft (MSFT.O), and other tech giants are accelerating data centre development to support generative AI applications like ChatGPT and Copilot. The race for AI supremacy has also become a geopolitical priority, with Washington emphasising its role in defence as China works to catch up.
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