OpenAI-SoftBank's $100 billion Stargate venture touted by Donald Trump will tap solar power
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Trump unveiled the Stargate joint venture involving SoftBank Group Corp., OpenAI and Oracle Corp. on Tuesday. The companies will initially invest $100 billion to build US-based infrastructure including data centers for OpenAI. While company executives during the White House announcement outlined a goal for Stargate to deploy “at least” $500 billion down the road, they didn’t elaborate on what will power the infrastructure.
At least some power for Stargate is expected to be built by SB Energy, a SoftBank unit that develops solar and battery projects, according to people familiar with the matter. SB Energy will be specifically charged with delivering some digital infrastructure and power generation associated with the venture, said the people, who aren’t authorized to speak publicly.
A White House spokesperson declined to comment. SB Energy and SoftBank declined to comment. An Oracle representative didn’t address a request for comment. An OpenAI spokesperson said the company is considering various options for how Stargate can help modernize the US energy grid, looking at technology ranging from nuclear power to batteries.
The AI boom will require a surge in new US electric capacity, likely buoying natural gas, nuclear, wind, solar and batteries. Natural gas — a
