OpenAI has announced a significant expansion of its Stargate project, unveiling plans to build five new data centers across the United States. This ambitious initiative is being developed in collaboration with Oracle and SoftBank, two major global players in technology and investment. Once completed, the new facilities will expand Stargate’s total capacity to seven gigawatts, a scale of power equivalent to supplying more than five million homes. The move positions OpenAI at the forefront of building the infrastructure required to support the next generation of artificial intelligence systems.

Three of the sites are being built with Oracle, including locations in Shackelford County, Texas, Doña Ana County, New Mexico, and a third site in the Midwest. SoftBank, meanwhile, will lead developments in Lordstown, Ohio, and Milam County, Texas. Each location has been carefully chosen for its energy availability, industrial capacity, and ability to support the massive computing demands of modern AI. The spread of data centers across multiple states also reflects OpenAI’s strategy to diversify its operations and strengthen resilience.

The timing of this expansion comes as demand for AI computing power grows at an unprecedented pace. Training and running advanced AI models, such as those that power ChatGPT and other enterprise solutions, requires enormous amounts of energy and processing capacity. By scaling Stargate, OpenAI is preparing to handle future models that will be even more complex, multimodal, and resource-intensive. Alongside the data center initiative, OpenAI recently confirmed a $100 billion partnership with Nvidia to secure the latest GPUs, ensuring the hardware backbone of these facilities can deliver unmatched performance.

Beyond meeting technical requirements, the Stargate expansion carries wider economic and strategic importance. Oracle contributes deep expertise in cloud and infrastructure, while SoftBank brings global investment influence and telecom reach. Together, these partnerships strengthen OpenAI’s ability to deploy reliable, large-scale computing resources. Local communities in Texas, Ohio, and New Mexico are also expected to see tangible economic benefits through job creation, technology investment, and regional growth.

This latest phase of Stargate highlights how AI infrastructure is rapidly becoming the backbone of the digital economy. Massive energy demands, cutting-edge chips, and international partnerships are reshaping how companies like OpenAI compete with other global giants such as Google, Microsoft, and Amazon. By scaling early and securing critical resources, OpenAI is ensuring that it can innovate at speed, support global adoption of its technologies, and push the boundaries of what artificial intelligence can achieve.