In a significant move for the technological landscape, OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank have announced the establishment of five new AI data center sites under the Stargate initiative, OpenAI's comprehensive AI infrastructure platform. This expansion marks a pivotal moment in the development of AI capabilities in the United States, with these five new sites combined with the flagship location in Abilene, Texas, and ongoing partnerships with CoreWeave, bringing the total planned capacity of Stargate to nearly 7 gigawatts and over $400 billion in investments over the next three years.
This ambitious plan is set to fulfill the initial $500 billion investment commitment and achieve a total capacity of 10 gigawatts by the end of 2025, ahead of schedule. The partnership between OpenAI and Oracle, which began in July, aims to develop up to 4.5 gigawatts of additional Stargate capacity—indicative of a collaboration that exceeds $300 billion within the next five years.
The three newly announced sites are strategically located in Shackelford County, Texas; Doña Ana County, New Mexico; and a forthcoming site in the Midwest, with expectations to deliver over 5.5 gigawatts of capacity. Additionally, a potential expansion of 600 megawatts near the flagship Stargate site in Abilene is in the pipeline. Together, these sites are projected to generate over 25,000 onsite jobs, alongside tens of thousands of jobs across the United States.
The other two Stargate sites announced are expected to scale up to 1.5 gigawatts within the next 18 months. Developed through a partnership between SoftBank and OpenAI, these sites will significantly contribute to the expansion of AI infrastructure. One site is already under construction in Lordstown, Ohio, featuring an advanced data center design slated to be operational next year. The second site, located in Milam County, Texas, will be developed in collaboration with SB Energy, a SoftBank Group company, which provides the powered infrastructure necessary for a fast-build data center.
These new sites represent a crucial step towards enabling faster deployment, enhanced scalability, and improved cost efficiency, making high-performance computing more widely accessible. The selection of the five new sites followed a meticulous nationwide review process initiated in January, where OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank evaluated over 300 proposals from more than 30 states. This announcement marks the first set of selections, with more U.S. sites anticipated as the companies work to fulfill and exceed their initial investment commitment.
The new Stargate sites will complement the existing flagship Stargate campus in Abilene, Texas, which is already operational on the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI). Oracle has been rapidly advancing its capabilities, delivering the first NVIDIA GB200 racks in June and initiating early training and inference workloads. This capacity is instrumental in propelling OpenAI’s next-generation research initiatives.
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, emphasized the importance of computing infrastructure in realizing the promise of AI, stating, “AI can only fulfill its promise if we build the compute to power it. That compute is the key to ensuring everyone can benefit from AI and to unlocking future breakthroughs.” Clay Magouyrk, CEO of Oracle, echoed this sentiment, noting that “Oracle’s reliable, scalable, and secure AI infrastructure is helping OpenAI rapidly scale its business.”
Masayoshi Son, Chairman and CEO of SoftBank Group Corp, highlighted the innovative design and energy expertise that SoftBank brings to the Stargate project, asserting that “Stargate is harnessing SoftBank’s innovative data center design and energy expertise to deliver the scalable compute that powers AI’s future.”
OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank first announced the $500 billion Stargate commitment in January at the White House, alongside President Trump, as part of a larger initiative to enhance investment in American AI infrastructure. Thanks to the leadership and policies of the Trump Administration, this project has progressed more swiftly than anticipated, attracting additional partners and momentum. Together, these companies are transforming a $500 billion, 10-gigawatt commitment into substantial physical infrastructure, job creation in communities across the nation, and computing power that will facilitate the next generation of AI breakthroughs.
