The companies in Stargate, the new consortium to build out AI infrastructure for OpenAI, are actively considering siting new data center projects in more than a dozen states, OpenAI announced Thursday.

ChatGPT creator OpenAI, Softbank and Oracle, along with other equity backers of Stargate, have committed $100 billion for immediate deployment, with the remaining investment expected over the next four years, according to the White House. The first of Stargate’s data centers are already under construction in Abilene, Texas.

OpenAI is scouring the U.S. for sites to build a network of huge data centers to power its artificial intelligence technology, expanding beyond a flagship Texas location and looking across 16 states to accelerate the Stargate project championed by

An executive with the Stargate Project was in Milwaukee on Thursday looking for possible sites for a data center. The Stargate Project is a plan to invest $500 billion in building and powering data center infrastructure to advance artificial intelligence in the United States.

A Stargate representative is visiting the Lone Star State next week to look at potential sites for data center projects through the joint venture.

Stargate, a joint venture between ChatGPT creator OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank, plans to invest up to $500 billion to help the United States stay ahead of China and other competitors in the global AI race.

ChatGPT maker OpenAI said on Thursday that it is evaluating U.S. states as potential artificial intelligence data center locations for its massive Stargate venture, framing the project as a matter of urgency for the United States to beat China in the global AI race.

OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, announced on Thursday that the state of Texas has been chosen as the primary site for its upcoming Stargate project. The project, a collaborative effort with SoftBank (TYO:9984),