OpenAI, SoftBank Each Commit $19 Billion to Stargate Data Center Venture

OpenAI and Japanese conglomerate SoftBank will each commit $19 billion to fund a joint venture to develop data centers for artificial intelligence in the U.S., OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told some colleagues Wednesday.

The ChatGPT developer would effectively hold a 40% interest in the venture, Stargate, and it would act as a kind of extension of OpenAI, he said. Altman’s comments imply SoftBank would also have a 40% interest.

Stargate stems from Altman’s longtime concern about his company’s access to servers, and could help defend it against competitive, political and legal threats from Elon Musk.