OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank Expand Stargate AI Data Center Network with Five New U.S. Sites
OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank have jointly announced a significant expansion of their ambitious Stargate AI infrastructure initiative, unveiling plans for five new data center sites across the United States. This expansion is part of a broader commitment that brings the project’s total planned capacity close to 7 gigawatts (GW) and represents more than $400 billion in planned investment over the next three years.
The announcement, made at a high-profile media event at the existing Stargate site in Abilene, Texas, highlights the consortium’s rapid progress toward a staggering $500 billion commitment and 10-gigawatt capacity target set to be completed by the end of 2025.
New Locations and Capacity Boost
The newly selected data center sites are located in Shackelford County, Texas; Doña Ana County, New Mexico; Lordstown, Ohio; Milam County, Texas; and an undisclosed site in the Midwest, with the last expected to be disclosed in the coming months. These sites are projected to add more than 5.5 GW of AI compute infrastructure capacity in addition to what has already been established.
This expansion will create over 25,000 onsite jobs, along with tens of thousands of additional positions in ancillary industries and local communities. The Stargate initiative thus promises significant economic and employment impacts throughout these regions.
Strategic Importance and Reaction
The media event in Abilene underscored the massive scale and technological sophistication of the project. Journalists were given access to the 800-acre facility, showcasing rows of cutting-edge Nvidia GPUs crucial for AI processing.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Oracle’s co-CEO Clay Magouryk emphasized the importance of the Stargate infrastructure as foundational to unlocking the next generation of AI breakthroughs. The collaboration with SoftBank adds a potent international ally to this extensive U.S.-based buildout.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz, among other policymakers present, praised the initiative for its potential to spur economic growth and innovation within the United States.
Investment and Industry Impact
Since its inception, Stargate has already seen enormous activity, including the deployment of thousands of workers and the installation of infrastructure components like fiber optic cables capable of encircling the Earth 16 times.
The project is seen as a race to establish infrastructure to support soaring demand for AI compute power across sectors. It is driving not only technology development but also inducing significant supply chain and construction activity.
This expansion places Stargate ahead of schedule to meet its 2025 targets, positioning OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank as key players in the AI infrastructure race.
Broader Implications
With continued growth of AI applications globally, the demand for large-scale, state-of-the-art data centers is accelerating. Stargate’s scale — involving hundreds of billions in spending and gigawatt-level power consumption — reflects the transformative nature of AI technologies and their infrastructure needs.
This expansion not only consolidates the U.S. as a leader in AI technology infrastructure but also showcases a template for public-private partnerships that integrate technological innovation with community investment and job creation.