Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) and OpenAI have entered a strategic partnership to construct an additional 4.5 gigawatts of AI-focused data center capacity in the United States, significantly expanding the Stargate infrastructure project.
With this development, and alongside the already operational Stargate I facility in Abilene, Texas, OpenAI’s total AI data center capacity currently under development now exceeds 5 gigawatts. These facilities are expected to support over 2 million AI chips.
The move builds on OpenAI’s earlier pledge—announced at a White House event in January—to invest $500 billion into 10 gigawatts of U.S.-based AI infrastructure over four years. Thanks to strong momentum with partners like Oracle and SoftBank, OpenAI now anticipates surpassing that initial goal.
The 4.5 GW expansion is estimated to generate more than 100,000 new U.S. jobs spanning both construction and operational roles. This includes permanent data center staff, highly skilled tradespeople such as specialized electricians, and indirect employment across manufacturing and local service industries.
Progress is already evident at the Abilene-based Stargate I location, where construction is advancing and some parts of the facility are live. Oracle has begun delivering Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) GB200 server racks, and OpenAI is running preliminary training and inference workloads. So far, the project has created thousands of jobs across more than 20 states, with additional hiring expected as the site scales up.
Meanwhile, OpenAI’s collaboration with SoftBank is moving forward, with ongoing site evaluations and efforts to redesign data center infrastructure to meet the demands of advanced AI systems. Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) will continue to provide cloud services through the Stargate platform.
The Stargate initiative represents OpenAI’s broader AI infrastructure strategy, involving key partners such as Oracle, SoftBank, and CoreWeave, as well as international investments aimed at strengthening U.S. AI capabilities through the OpenAI for Countries program.
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