Oracle and OpenAI strike deal for construction of extensive Stargate data center, project set to support 2 million AI processors - SoftBank, former Stargate partner, not participating in the endeavor
The Stargate project is a significant expansion of AI data center power in the United States, announced by OpenAI and Oracle [1][4]. Here's a closer look at the key details:
Location and Partnerships: The Stargate project plans to build 20 data centers, each approximately 500,000 square feet. While the exact locations have not been disclosed, the project is expected to involve partnerships with OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank [5].
One of the facilities being built is the Abilene facility (Stargate I), which is now active and being used by OpenAI for early-stage AI training and inference tasks [6]. This facility serves as a proof-of-concept for subsequent Stargate data centers.
Power Source: The specific power sources for the Stargate data centers have not been fully detailed. However, the broader AI data center boom in the U.S. is being fueled by a mix of natural gas, solar energy, and emerging nuclear power [2]. It's possible that the new facilities, including the Abilene facility, may be built in states such as Texas, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Wyoming, which are known for their abundant energy resources.
AI Processor Support: The data center power can support over two million AI processors. However, it's unclear whether the power infrastructure is designed for newer Blackwell Ultra (1.4 kW each) or Rubin Ultra (3.6 kW each) AI processors [1].
Financial Scale: OpenAI’s additional 4.5 GW capacity deal with Oracle is valued at approximately $30 billion, highlighting a significant financial commitment to expanding U.S. AI infrastructure capability [4].
Lessons Learned: Lessons learned from the Abilene site are expected to help with the execution of subsequent Stargate data centers. Oracle has begun installing server racks based on Nvidia's GB200 platform at the Abilene facility [3].
In summary, the Stargate project’s 4.5 GW expansion in the U.S. is a large-scale AI data center power buildout with a strong commercial and technological focus. Although exact locations and specific energy sources are not fully disclosed, the infrastructure will support millions of high-power AI processors and is part of a broader trend combining renewable, nuclear, and fossil power to meet soaring data center electricity demands [1][2][3][4].
[1] https://www.oracle.com/corporate/news/announcements/openai_stargate_announcement.html [2] https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/data-centers-and-renewables-a-match-made-in-heaven [3] https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/news/oracle-to-build-ai-data-center-in-texas/ [4] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-10/openai-said-to-plan-4-5-gigawatt-data-center-expansion-with-oracle [5] https://www.reuters.com/business/technology/openai-oracle-to-build-4-5-gigawatt-us-data-center-infrastructure-2021-05-10/ [6] https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/news/openais-stargate-data-center-is-now-live-in-texas/
The Stargate project, a large-scale AI data center power buildout, leverages data-and-cloud-computing technology and partnerships with companies like OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank, showcasing a significant commercial and technological focus. The emerging infrastructure will support millions of high-power AI processors, contributing to the broader trend of combining renewable, nuclear, and fossil power to meet escalating data center electricity demands.
