On Tuesday, President Trump announced the formation of a joint initiative between OpenAI, SoftBank, and Oracle to establish at least $100 billion worth of computing infrastructure to drive advancements in artificial intelligence.

Trump Announces $100 Billion A.I. Initiative

Named Stargate, this venture represents another major investment in U.S. data centers—massive facilities housing servers that provide computational power. Stargate’s investment could expand up to $500 billion over a four-year period. The three founding companies plan to fund the project, which will also be open to additional investors. The venture is set to launch with 10 data centers already under construction in Texas.https://svtoday.org/

The announcement marked a significant early win for Mr. Trump, though the initiative was in development before his presidency began on Monday. Mr. Trump has committed to accelerating U.S. leadership in A.I., positioning it to compete with China. On Monday, he rescinded an executive order issued by former President Joseph R. Biden Jr., which had established safety and operational standards for government A.I. use.

During a press briefing, Mr. Trump emphasized removing obstacles to enable the construction of more data centers. He also mentioned making “emergency declarations” to allow Stargate to produce its own electricity but did not elaborate on the details.

“This monumental project is a powerful testament to America’s capabilities and potential,” Mr. Trump stated from the Roosevelt Room of the White House.
“We’re going to simplify the process as much as possible,” he added.

The event featured appearances by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, SoftBank Chairman Masayoshi Son, and Oracle Founder Larry Ellison, who joined Mr. Trump for the announcement.

Separately, Mr. Trump addressed questions about the possible sale of TikTok. On Monday, he signed an executive order aiming to delay enforcement of a law that would mandate the sale or ban of the app in the U.S. due to national security concerns. When asked whether Elon Musk should buy TikTok, Mr. Trump responded, “I would be, yeah,” and suggested Oracle as another potential buyer, adding, “I have the right to make a deal.”

Tech leaders have increasingly aligned themselves with Mr. Trump in recent months, offering substantial campaign donations and attending high-profile events to curry favor and mitigate potential regulatory pressures. Notably, Mr. Altman attended the inauguration, and executives from Google, Apple, and Meta were prominently seated at the Capitol Rotunda.

Mr. Trump has championed A.I.’s potential for economic growth, appointing venture capitalist David Sacks as his new A.I. adviser.

OpenAI has long sought funding for its global data center ambitions. Earlier this month, the company proposed an economic framework for the administration, centered on building large-scale U.S. data centers essential for powering A.I. applications like ChatGPT.

Microsoft, OpenAI’s largest investor, had previously supplied the necessary data center infrastructure for the startup. However, as OpenAI struggled to meet its computational needs through Microsoft, it secured an agreement to utilize Oracle-built data centers instead.

(Separately, The New York Times has filed a copyright lawsuit against OpenAI and its partner, Microsoft, alleging unauthorized use of news content for A.I. systems. Both companies have denied the claims.)

Last year, Mr. Altman initiated discussions with investors in the UAE, Asian chip manufacturers, and U.S. officials to propose a global strategy for building data centers and chip factories. However, after concerns were raised in Washington over U.S. technological developments being pursued in the Middle East, OpenAI refocused its efforts on expanding data center infrastructure within the United States.