OpenAI is charting a bold course across the United States, exploring the establishment of data center campuses in 16 states. This initiative is part of a large-scale venture, connected to President Donald Trump’s Stargate project, that seeks to revolutionize American AI infrastructure. The states under consideration include Arizona, California, Florida, Louisiana, Maryland, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and West Virginia.
The first of these data centers is already underway in Abilene, Texas. Construction has begun with expectations of creating 57 jobs. Each data center campus is designed to support about one gigawatt of power, with potential to generate thousands of jobs per site.
OpenAI's plan involves constructing five to ten data center campuses in total. However, this number could fluctuate based on the power capacity each campus can offer. The company has aligned itself with tech giants like Microsoft, Nvidia, and Oracle, as well as Arm, a semiconductor company, to drive this immense undertaking forward.
"A project of this size represents an opportunity to both re-industrialize parts of the country, but also to help revitalize where the American Dream is going to go in this intelligence age." – Chris Lehane, OpenAI's vice president of global policy
In an effort to advance AI capabilities domestically and counter China's rapid progress in the field, OpenAI's Stargate venture aims to invest $100 billion initially. This investment could potentially rise to $500 billion over the next four years. The project will announce additional construction sites "on a rolling basis" in the upcoming months.
The environmental impact of these data centers remains a critical consideration. They are expected to consume significant amounts of electricity and water—potentially between one and four million gallons per day at some sites. In response, OpenAI is exploring a "light water-footprint design" for the data centers to mitigate their environmental impact and considering partnerships with utilities for alternative power-generation methods.
"Right now, there's really only two countries in the world that can build this AI at scale," – Chris Lehane
"One is the CCP-led China, and the other is the United States, and so that's sort of the context that we're operating in." – Chris Lehane
The Stargate project is not just about technological advancement; it represents a strategic move to revitalize the U.S. economy by creating jobs in underserved areas. This aligns with the broader vision of re-industrializing parts of the country that stand to benefit significantly from such development.
"This is a reminder of the level of competition and the need for democratic Al to win," – Sam Altman, OpenAI CEO