On Tuesday, President Donald Trump announced the creation of an ambitious joint venture set to invest at least $500 billion in the development of artificial intelligence in the United States. The project, called Stargate, involves the collaboration of three tech giants, OpenAI, SoftBank and Oracle. In attendance at the White House with Trump were OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, and Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison, who called Stargate “the largest infrastructure project in artificial intelligence in history.”
“Stargate will build the physical and virtual infrastructure needed to power the next generation of innovation in AI,” Trump said, adding, “I think this project will be something really special, maybe even the biggest of all.”
The plan calls for the construction of new data centers in Texas and enhanced energy resources to accelerate the development of increasingly advanced AI models. According to the White House, the initial investment will be about $100 billion, with a gradual increase planned in the coming years.
Trump also stressed that the project will lead to the creation of at least 100,000 new jobs, representing a significant turnaround for the U.S. economy and solidifying the U.S.’s role as a global leader in artificial intelligence, given the ongoing competition with China.
According to Altman, “this will be the most important project of this era.”
Ellison pointed out that data centers are already under construction, with ten facilities currently in the works. The Oracle chairman suggested that the project will also be linked to digital health records, facilitating the treatment of diseases such as cancer and opening up the possibility of developing personalized vaccines.
“This is the beginning of a golden age,” Son said, recalling Trump’s statement that the United States will enter a “golden age” with his return to the White House.
Son, a well-known Japanese entrepreneur, had already laid out his intentions to invest at least $100 million in tech projects in the United States.
Nevertheless, yesterday’s announcement by President Trump is not a first, as there were already plans to develop and enhance AI infrastructure in the United States; in fact, the first plans for the creation of Stargate date back to as early as March 2024, when the Biden-Harris administration was in office.
The financial firm Blackstone estimated that $1 trillion will be invested in data centers in the United States over the next five years, with an additional trillion earmarked for projects internationally.
In addition, on Monday Trump rescinded a 2023 executive order signed by his predecessor that aimed to establish security standards, place watermarks on AI-generated content, and address other goals designed to mitigate potential risks to national security and economic stability, essentially removing any guard rails to AI development.
Trump’s decision to rescind the order was driven by concerns that the reporting requirements were too burdensome and could force companies to disclose trade secrets. The move has sparked debate about the balance between innovation and regulation in the rapidly evolving field of AI.
