OpenAI has announced 'The Stargate Project,' a new company set to invest $500 billion into AI infrastructure over the next four years.

The data centers will be exclusively used by OpenAI as it expands its generative AI compute portfolio. Of the total investment, $100bn will be deployed 'immediately.'

OpenAI
– OpenAI

SoftBank, OpenAI, Oracle, and Abu Dhabi's MGX are the equity investors in Stargate, with SoftBank having financial responsibility and OpenAI having operational responsibility. SoftBank's Masayoshi Son will serve as chairman.

The buildout is currently underway, starting in Texas - likely Oracle's project in Abilene, Texas, which is itself leased from Crusoe.

At a White House press conference, Oracle founder Larry Ellison said that 10 data centers were currently under construction at the site in Texas.

OpenAI said that it was "evaluating potential sites across the country for more campuses as we finalize definitive agreements."

SoftBank's Arm, Microsoft, Nvidia, Oracle, and OpenAI will be key initial technology partners.

"As part of Stargate, Oracle, Nvidia, and OpenAI will closely collaborate to build and operate this computing system. This builds on a deep collaboration between OpenAI and Nvidia going back to 2016 and a newer partnership between OpenAI and Oracle," OpenAI said.

"This also builds on the existing OpenAI partnership with Microsoft. OpenAI will continue to increase its consumption of Azure as OpenAI continues its work with Microsoft with this additional compute to train leading models and deliver great products and services."

Notably, the company said that it wanted to "connect with firms across the built data center infrastructure landscape, from power and land to construction to equipment, and everything in between." Those interested can contact the company here.

Specifics of what OpenAI has planned have yet to be shared, but the company last year shared a document with the White House presenting a plan for 5GW data centers - which would be the largest facilities in the world.

DCD published the White House report in November.

At the press conference announcing the new company, President Donald Trump said: "What we want to do is we want to keep it in this country. China is a competitor, others are competitors. We want to be in this country, and we're making it available.

"I'm gonna help a lot through emergency declarations, because we have an emergency, we have to get this stuff built. So they have to produce a lot of electricity. And we'll make it possible for them to get this production done easily, at their own plants if they want."

OpenAI's Sam Altman added: "I think this will be the most important project of this era."