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Three top tech companies announced Tuesday they are forming a new company called Stargate to grow artificial intelligence infrastructure in the United States.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, and Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison appeared at the White House on Tuesday afternoon with President Donald Trump, calling it “the largest AI infrastructure project in history.” ”, the company announced.
The companies have invested $100 billion to start the project and plan to pump up to $500 billion into Stargate over the next few years. President Trump said the project is expected to create 100,000 jobs in the United States.
President Trump said Stargate will build “physical and virtual infrastructure to power next-generation AI,” including data centers across the country. Ellison said the group’s first 1 million square foot data project is already under construction in Texas.
AI leaders have been warning that more data centers, and the chips, power and water resources to power them, will be needed to power artificial intelligence ambitions in the coming years. .
“I think this will be the most important project of our time,” Altman said Tuesday. “We couldn’t do this without you, Mr. President.”
Oracle is one of the largest data center operators in the United States. And SoftBank has the deep pockets needed to fund an AI infrastructure expansion that is expected to cost billions of dollars.
Altman has previously urged U.S. officials to help build infrastructure to ensure the U.S. stays ahead of China in the AI arms race, as AI is poised to impact everything from the economy to military capabilities. was requested. OpenAI’s CEO also reportedly met with SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son last year to seek investment in a new semiconductor factory to manufacture AI chips.
Altman, who attended President Trump’s inauguration on Monday, told Fox News last month that he believes Trump is “very good at attracting” investment in AI infrastructure to the United States, and that he is “very good at attracting” investment in AI infrastructure to the United States. I look forward to working with the administration.”
“Infrastructure in the U.S. is critical. AI is a little different than other types of software in that it requires a lot of infrastructure, power, computer chips, data centers. And we can’t bring it here. We can have the best AI infrastructure in the world that we need to build on and lead with technology and capabilities,” Altman said in an interview.
In a policy white paper released last week, OpenAI said investments in U.S. AI infrastructure can ensure U.S. AI tools compete with Chinese technology and create new jobs and economic opportunities for the U.S. , called on the U.S. government to “develop a fundamental strategy.” We ensure that our infrastructure investments benefit as many people as possible and maximize access to AI. The briefing paper estimates that “there is $175 billion sitting in funds around the world waiting to invest in AI projects.”
“If the United States does not attract these funds, they will flow to Chinese-backed projects and strengthen the Chinese Communist Party’s global influence,” the company said.
Oracle said in a statement that the Stargate project “will secure U.S. leadership in AI, create hundreds of thousands of American jobs, and deliver significant economic benefits to the entire world.” This project will not only support the re-industrialization of the United States, but will also provide strategic capabilities to protect the national security of the United States and its allies. ”
SoftBank will have financial responsibility for Stargate, and OpenAI will have operational responsibility. A fourth partner, MGX, also provided funding. According to OpenAI, SoftBank’s Son will become Stargate’s chairman.
New presidents and president-elects have frequently made joint announcements with companies about large-scale U.S. investments to encourage the revitalization of American industry. But their track record of success is decidedly mixed.
In 2017, President Trump announced that he and Foxconn would build a massive $10 billion electronics factory in Wisconsin, creating 13,000 jobs. But the company ultimately abandoned most of its planned facilities and high-tech products. In 2021, the company announced it would invest just $672 million in a revised agreement that would create fewer than 1,500 jobs.
But Foxconn has announced it has invested $1 billion in the state, and its main manufacturing site for data servers, with more than 1,000 employees, remains. But the facility announced by President Trump has become a data hub for Microsoft aimed at training employees and manufacturers on how to best use artificial intelligence.
President Trump on Monday also rescinded an executive order passed by former President Joe Biden in 2023 aimed at monitoring and regulating AI risks.
This story has been updated with additional details.
