OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank, revealed on Tuesday that they will establish five additional artificial intelligence data centers across the United States as part of their large-scale Stargate initiative.
Launched in January, Stargate is a private-sector plan introduced at a White House event where U.S. President Donald Trump hosted leaders from major technology companies.
The effort is projected to involve as much as $500 billion in spending to expand the nation’s AI infrastructure.
For both the administration and tech firms, ensuring the availability of powerful computing systems has become a central priority as demand for generative AI continues to surge.
OpenAI confirmed it will jointly develop three of the new facilities with Oracle in Shackelford County, Texas, Dona Ana County, New Mexico, and at a confidential site located in the Midwest.
Meanwhile, two additional data centers will be constructed in Lordstown, Ohio, and Milam County, Texas, through a collaboration between OpenAI, Japan’s SoftBank, and a SoftBank affiliate.
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Expanding Stargate’s National Footprint
The new data centers, alongside Oracle and OpenAI’s expansion in Abilene, Texas, and previously announced work with CoreWeave, are expected to elevate Stargate’s total operating capacity to nearly 7 gigawatts.
OpenAI stated that more than $400 billion will be funneled into these developments within the next three years.
The overarching plan aims for 10 gigawatts of total capacity once completed. As OpenAI CEO Sam Altman explained, “AI can only fulfill its promise if we build the compute to power it.”
Tuesday’s announcement also highlighted significant job growth, with roughly 25,000 onsite positions anticipated. The news came just a day after Nvidia, pledged to commit up to $100 billion to OpenAI and provide specialized chips for data centers.
People familiar with the strategy indicated that OpenAI and its partners intend to rely on debt financing to lease these chips as part of the Stargate project.
Both OpenAI and its main backer, Microsoft, remain among the largest investors in next-generation data centers designed to support tools like ChatGPT and Copilot.
For Trump, AI has become a matter of strategic importance, particularly in areas tied to national defense and amid China’s efforts to expand its own AI capabilities.
The rapid scale of investment underscores the urgency surrounding America’s race to remain at the forefront of artificial intelligence development.
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