Expanding the Nationwide Buildout
OpenAI’s vast infrastructure project, known as Stargate, is entering a new stage with the announcement of five additional data-center sites in the United States. The new developments are slated for Shackelford County in Texas, Doña Ana County in New Mexico, Milam County in Texas, Lordstown in Ohio, and a fifth site to be confirmed in the Midwest. Company leaders say the expansion will lift total planned capacity to around 7 gigawatts, part of an overall strategy that envisions up to $500 billion in long-term investment for AI systems.
Responsibilities Among Partners
The consortium outlined a division of labor in the rollout. Oracle will oversee construction of three facilities, while SoftBank is joining as a partner on two more. Together, the three companies now count nearly $400 billion in committed projects under the Stargate umbrella. Executives argue that these efforts will form the backbone of the next generation of artificial intelligence, combining Oracle’s cloud infrastructure strength with SoftBank’s global connectivity and OpenAI’s technological demands.
Economic Opportunities and Infrastructure Demands
Supporters of the initiative forecast that the sites will create tens of thousands of jobs, spanning both temporary building work and permanent operational roles. Local officials are expected to weigh incentive packages, land use approvals, and utility arrangements as the projects move forward. Analysts caution that energy and water requirements on this scale will test existing resources, particularly in Texas and New Mexico. Proponents counter that Stargate will anchor U.S. competitiveness in advanced AI and provide substantial economic benefits to the regions hosting the data centers.
