OpenAI plans massive AI chip facility in Texas

OpenAI is creating a large data center in Abilene, Texas, as part of its $100 billion Stargate project. The center will have room for up to 400,000 powerful AI chips from Nvidia. If fully equipped, this facility would become one of the largest AI computing centers known. Construction is expected to finish by mid-2026 and will provide 1.2 gigawatts of power. Although the center can host many AI chips, it is not clear how many will be used in the project. The Stargate initiative was announced in January and involves OpenAI, SoftBank Group, and Oracle. Oracle plans to use the Abilene site’s full capacity for Stargate. Other companies, like Elon Musk’s xAI and Meta, are also investing heavily in AI technology. Musk's company recently signed a $5 billion deal for AI servers, while Meta aims for computing power equivalent to 600,000 Nvidia chips by the end of 2024. Construction for the data center began in June 2023, and about 2,000 workers are currently on site. This number is expected to rise to nearly 5,000. The project includes eight buildings, each capable of housing 50,000 Nvidia semiconductors. The announcement from the White House has provided significant credibility to the project, encouraging speedy development. All involved parties now recognize the importance of building such facilities quickly and efficiently.