The initiative, which was announced last month, plans an initial $100 billion investment in generative AI data centre campuses, with an additional $400 billion to follow over four years.
The first data centre site has been under development since last year at a Crusoe site within Lancium's campus, fully leased by Oracle for OpenAI.
However, despite discussions claiming around 10-20 data centres will be built in Abilene, the exact number and timeline remain uncertain.
Subscribe today for free
In a LinkedIn post, OpenAI chief financial officer, Sarah Friar, said: “AI is transforming the world, and building the infrastructure to power it requires bold, long-term investment. That’s why we launched Stargate with our partners —a $500 billion initiative to supercharge American industry and expand the compute capacity needed to unlock AI’s full potential.”
She added the technology giant is also evaluating potential sites in Pennsylvania, Oregon and Wisconsin, with site visits scheduled for next week.
Meanwhile, the company has also solicited proposals from “top firms to design and build the facilities that will define the future of AI compute”, it added.
She concluded: “AI is moving fast. The next wave isn’t just better chatbots—it’s AI agents that can work independently over long periods of time, solving complex problems in science, medicine, and beyond. That level of intelligence requires massive compute infrastructure, and that’s what Stargate is designed to deliver.
“AI has the power to elevate humanity—but first, we need to build the foundation to support it. That’s what Stargate is: a bold, scalable, and enduring investment in the future.”
RELATED STORIES
Softbank, OpenAI, Oracle & Microsoft back $500bn Stargate AI project
SoftBank eyes $25bn OpenAI investment amid Stargate project push: report
OpenAI unveils Operator: A browser-based AI agent to revolutionise task automation
