“OpenAI Partners with SoftBank, Oracle for Bold $500B Project”
OpenAI has announced a collaboration with Japanese conglomerate SoftBank and Oracle, among other partners, to establish several AI data centers across the U.S.
This joint initiative, named the Stargate Project, will kick off with a significant data center in Texas and plans to expand to additional states over time. The companies aim to invest $100 billion initially into Stargate and may reach up to $500 billion in funding over the next four years.
They assert that this initiative will generate “hundreds of thousands” of jobs and will “ensure American leadership in AI.”
“The Stargate Project is an enterprise focused on [building] new AI infrastructure for OpenAI within the United States,” stated OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank in a collective announcement. “This endeavor will not only aid in the re-industrialization of America but will also enhance strategic capabilities to safeguard the national security of the U.S. and its allies.”
The companies revealed the news during a press conference at the White House on Tuesday, where President Donald Trump discussed investment plans for U.S. infrastructure. Attendees included SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son, OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman, and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison.
Microsoft is also participating in the Stargate Project as a technology partner, alongside Arm and Nvidia. The Middle Eastern AI fund MGX will collaborate with SoftBank in this investment; MGX’s initial public investment was made in OpenAI.
SoftBank, OpenAI, and Oracle are recognized as the “initial equity investors” in the Stargate venture.
“SoftBank and OpenAI are the primary partners for Stargate, with SoftBank handling financial aspects and OpenAI managing operations,” the announcement emphasized. “Masayoshi Son will serve as the chairman [of Stargate]… As a part of Stargate, Oracle, Nvidia, and OpenAI will work together closely to construct and manage this computing framework.”
The data centers could eventually accommodate chips developed by OpenAI.
The firm is reportedly expanding its team of chip designers and engineers aggressively and is collaborating with semiconductor companies Broadcom and TSMC to create an AI chip for model operations, which could be ready by 2026.
SoftBank has already invested in OpenAI, contributing approximately $500 million to the AI startup’s preceding funding round and an extra $1.5 billion to facilitate share sales for OpenAI employees through a tender offer.
Meanwhile, Oracle maintains an ongoing agreement with OpenAI to provide AI computing assets.
SoftBank had earlier committed to investing $100 billion in the U.S. over the forthcoming four years. Son and Trump have maintained a close partnership since 2016, during Trump’s first term, when Son declared that SoftBank would invest $50 billion in U.S. startups and create 50,000 jobs.
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