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OpenAI Explores U.S. Data Center Sites for Stargate AI Project Amid China Competition

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OpenAI announced on Thursday that it is evaluating several U.S. states as potential locations for data centers supporting its Stargate AI venture. The initiative is positioned as a strategic move to maintain U.S. leadership over China in the AI race.

Chris Lehane, OpenAI’s chief global affairs officer, highlighted the competitive urgency. “With the emergence of DeepSeek, it’s clear this competition is serious. Whoever prevails will shape the future, whether it’s democratic and open AI or authoritarian and autocratic AI,” he said.

Stargate, unveiled by U.S. President Donald Trump last month, represents a private sector AI infrastructure investment of up to $500 billion. Funded by SoftBank, OpenAI, and Oracle, the project has already committed $100 billion for immediate deployment, with further investments to roll out over the next four years.

Sixteen U.S. states have expressed interest in hosting Stargate data centers, with Texas designated as the flagship location. The first data center, under construction in Abilene, Texas, is being developed by startup Crusoe and is expected to be partially operational later this year. Keith Heyde, leading site selection for Stargate, said, “We are looking at five to ten sites for our campus footprint.”

However, the emergence of China’s low-cost DeepSeek AI model has cast doubt on the assumption that large-scale, specialized data centers are essential for AI advancement. DeepSeek researchers claimed they trained their model on less sophisticated chips at a fraction of the cost required by American AI models.

This development sent shockwaves through global markets. Investors reacted by dumping tech stocks, particularly Nvidia, the leading AI chipmaker, wiping out $593 billion of its market value—the largest one-day loss ever recorded on Wall Street.

Emirati Billionaire to Invest $20 Billion in U.S. Data Centers, Announces Trump

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Emirati billionaire Hussain Sajwani, the chairman of Dubai-based real estate developer DAMAC, has committed to investing $20 billion in the rapidly growing U.S. data center industry. Sajwani made the announcement on Tuesday during a meeting with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump at his Palm Beach, Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago.

The planned investment is part of a broader effort to bolster the U.S. economy, with Trump emphasizing the importance of strengthening domestic industries. The announcement comes amid Trump’s focus on economic policies that seek to curb China’s access to key technology, including chips used for advanced data centers. In his remarks, Sajwani expressed a willingness to increase the investment beyond the initial $20 billion if market conditions permit, stating, “We’re planning to invest $20 billion and even more than that, if the opportunity in the market allows us.”

Sajwani’s company, DAMAC, has already made its mark in the Middle East by owning the region’s only Trump-branded golf course in Dubai, which opened in 2017. The billionaire’s connection with Trump has grown closer, with the two having celebrated the New Year together in Florida.

While Trump has a history of promoting large investments for economic growth, the outcomes have sometimes been less substantial. For instance, a promised $10 billion Foxconn factory investment in Wisconsin, announced early in Trump’s first term, resulted in a project that was ultimately scaled back and left many promises unmet.

Sajwani’s announcement follows recent moves by other major investors, including SoftBank Group’s CEO Masayoshi Son, who, in collaboration with Trump, committed to a $100 billion investment in the U.S. over the next four years, focusing on AI. The surge in investments in AI and its supporting infrastructure, such as data centers, follows the introduction of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in late 2022, which sparked a wave of interest in generative AI technologies.

Microsoft also revealed plans to invest about $80 billion in the U.S. this fiscal year to expand its AI capabilities. The Biden administration has increasingly restricted the export of AI chips to China, aligning with Trump’s foreign policy stance and recent nominations of China hard-liners to key diplomatic and economic roles.

Emirati Billionaire Sajwani Foresees Increased Gulf Investments into U.S. Under Trump’s Second Term

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Emirati billionaire Hussain Sajwani, founder of DAMAC Properties, predicts a surge in Gulf investments into the U.S. as President-elect Donald Trump begins his second term. Sajwani, a long-time business partner of Trump, announced plans to invest $20 billion in data centers across eight U.S. states, speaking at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. The real estate mogul highlighted the pro-business policies of the incoming administration, which he believes will attract more foreign investments, particularly in sectors like artificial intelligence (AI) and technology.

Sajwani, whose firm owns the only Trump-branded golf course in the Middle East, stressed that Trump’s policies would foster a more favorable investment climate, aiding in future opportunities for growth in the U.S. Sajwani’s investments extend beyond real estate; he is also an investor in Elon Musk’s SpaceX and xAI. In December, Sajwani celebrated New Year’s with Trump and Musk, and he was invited to the presidential inauguration on January 20.

According to Forbes, Sajwani’s net worth stands at $5.1 billion. Trump’s business dealings with the Gulf are not limited to Sajwani; Trump-branded projects are also under construction in Saudi Arabia and Oman, and Gulf state-owned funds have investments in Jared Kushner’s firm.

As Gulf countries, particularly the UAE, ramp up investments in AI to become regional leaders, Sajwani’s DAMAC subsidiary EDGNEX plans to build and operate data centers with a 2,000-megawatt capacity across Texas, Arizona, Illinois, and five other states. Sajwani emphasized that favorable access to land, energy, and regulatory processes in the U.S. were key factors in the decision to focus on these locations. The data centers will be funded largely through debt, with DAMAC covering the remaining 30% from its balance sheet.

The proposed investment deal is expected to undergo scrutiny by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CFIUS), although Sajwani expressed confidence that the incoming administration would streamline regulatory processes to expedite the approval.