U.S. President Donald Trump announced the establishment of a new AI company called Stargate in the United States during a press conference held at the White House on Jan. 21 (local time).
This joint venture, formed by OpenAI, SoftBank, and Oracle, plans to invest $500 billion (approximately 720 trillion won) in U.S. AI infrastructure over the next four years. The initial investment will be $100 billion, focusing on developing infrastructure, including the construction of data centers. Trump emphasized, “Stargate will build the physical and virtual infrastructure that will drive the next generation of AI development, including massive data centers,” and added, “We plan to keep this AI technology and infrastructure in America.”
Trump also pledged to use emergency powers to facilitate the establishment and operation of AI factories within the US, ensuring the provision of necessary power supplies. The press conference was attended by key figures such as Masayoshi Son, chairman of SoftBank, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, and Larry Ellison, co-founder of Oracle. Trump confidently declared, “This monumental project is a declaration of confidence in America’s potential under the new presidency.”
According to the Financial Times (FT), SoftBank will bear the ultimate financial responsibility in the joint venture, while OpenAI will oversee operations. The $100 billion investment previously promised by Son for the U.S. will be a crucial funding source for Stargate. Additionally, Abu Dhabi’s state-owned AI fund MGX and Oracle are also contributing to the project. UK semiconductor design company Arm, in which SoftBank holds a stake, along with American companies Microsoft and Nvidia, are expected to participate as technology partners.
Stargate aims to enhance its capabilities to train and execute new AI models. The company plans to first establish a data center project in Abilene, Texas, and expand to other states. OpenAI issued a statement saying, “This project will not only support the reindustrialization of the U.S. but also provide strategic capabilities to protect the national security of the U.S. and its allies.”
The Financial Times (FT) noted that this announcement is part of big tech companies’ efforts to win Trump’s favor. On the same day, Trump highlighted that Stargate would create almost 100,000 jobs immediately and secure the future of technology in the U.S. This move also reflects the industry’s demand for more data centers to advance AI development and strengthen technological competitiveness in the U.S. Key figures in the AI field have previously argued that better infrastructure is essential to develop the next stage of AI models and compete with China for technological supremacy. CEO Altman mentioned in an interview with Bloomberg earlier this month, “The infrastructure built in the U.S. can strengthen domestic AI companies, but currently, it has become very difficult to build anything in the U.S.”
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