OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank Expand Stargate AI Data Center Project to Seven Sites
OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank are expanding their AI data center project, Stargate, with plans to build five more facilities. The project, initially announced by President Trump, aims to invest up to $500 billion in AI infrastructure.
The companies have scaled back their initial plans, focusing now on constructing a smaller data center in Ohio by the end of this year. Two more sites in Lordstown, Ohio, and Milam County, Texas, will be built by OpenAI, SoftBank, and a SoftBank affiliate. OpenAI finance chief Sarah Friar confirmed the project's scale is necessary to meet the compute demands of OpenAI's models.
The new data centers will significantly boost Stargate's total capacity to nearly seven gigawatts and attract over $400 billion in investment over the next three years. The expansion is expected to create 25,000 onsite jobs. OpenAI's first Stargate data center in Abilene, Texas, is already operational, housing Oracle Cloud infrastructure and Nvidia chips. Three more sites in Shackelford County, Texas, Dona Ana County, New Mexico, and an undisclosed Midwest location will be opened by OpenAI and Oracle. Besides these partners, Samsung is also involved in the expansion.
The Stargate Project is ahead of schedule, with plans to meet the full 10-gigawatt commitment by the end of 2025. The expansion will not only boost AI capabilities but also create significant job opportunities across Texas, New Mexico, and Ohio.
