OpenAI says US data centre build is over halfway to 10GW target
Company points to new sites across the Midwest and Southwest and pledges to fund power and water needs locally, as scrutiny grows over the footprint of AI infrastructure.
OpenAI says it is already more than halfway towards its goal of building 10 gigawatts of artificial intelligence infrastructure in the United States, less than a year after setting the target.
In a statement, the company said its first “Stargate” site in Abilene, Texas is already training and serving frontier AI systems, with additional campuses under development in Texas, New Mexico, Wisconsin and Michigan. The 10GW target, announced in January 2025, refers to the amount of electrical capacity required to power large-scale data centres that run and train advanced AI models.
For a lay reader, 10GW is a vast amount of energy. It is roughly equivalent to the output of several large power stations and reflects the growing electricity demands of modern AI systems, which rely on thousands of specialised processors running around the clock.
OpenAI said each Stargate campus will follow a locally tailored “Stargate Community” plan shaped by community input. A central commitment, the company added, is that it will “pay our own way on energy”, ensuring its operations do not push up local electricity prices. To do this, the company said it will adapt arrangements to regional grid conditions, including funding new power generation, paying for grid upgrades, working closely with utilities and taking part in demand-response programmes that reduce consumption at peak times.
The company detailed how those plans vary by state. In Wisconsin, Oracle and Vantage are working with WEC Energy Group to develop new generation capacity, including solar power and battery storage. OpenAI said developer partners will underwrite 100% of the power infrastructure investment through a dedicated electricity rate agreed with WEC.
In Michigan, Oracle and Related Digital are collaborating with DTE Energy to supply power using existing generation, supplemented by a new battery storage investment financed entirely by the project itself.
In Texas, where energy use by data centres has been a politically sensitive issue, OpenAI said SB Energy plans to fund and build new generation and storage assets to supply most of the electricity for the Milam County campus. In Wisconsin, partners have also committed to invest at least $175m in local infrastructure upgrades and water restoration projects.
Water use, another common concern around data centres, was also addressed. Weldon Hurt, mayor of Abilene, said annual water consumption at the local Stargate site would be “half as much as Abilene uses in a single day”. OpenAI said it is prioritising closed-loop or low-water cooling systems and will apply those designs across its campuses to minimise demand.
Beyond infrastructure, the company said it plans to invest in local workforces. OpenAI said it will establish OpenAI Academies as regional workforce development programmes, with the first Stargate community academy launching in Abilene this spring. The academies are intended to train people for construction, electrical, cooling and technical roles linked to AI infrastructure.
The company added that it is engaging with labour unions and workforce partners to support the skilled trades and technical staff needed to build and operate the facilities.
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The update comes as technology companies face increasing scrutiny from regulators, utilities and local communities over the strain large data centres place on power grids, water supplies and housing markets. OpenAI’s emphasis on funding its own energy and infrastructure reflects an effort to pre-empt those concerns as it accelerates its build-out.
Whether the approach proves sustainable at full scale will depend on how quickly new generation and grid upgrades can be delivered, and on how effectively community commitments translate into long-term local benefits. For now, OpenAI is signalling that the race to build AI infrastructure is not just about computing power, but about energy, water and people as well.
The Recap
- OpenAI advances Stargate toward 10GW U.S. infrastructure target.
- Partners to invest $175 million in Wisconsin infrastructure upgrades.
- First Stargate OpenAI Academy to launch in Abilene this spring.
