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Tech giants are backing a massive effort, announced by President Trump and dubbed the Stargate Project, to add data centers across the U.S.<\/p>\n
January 22, 2025<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
BY CHRISTA MARSHALL<\/a> & E&E NEWS<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n CLIMATEWIRE |<\/b> President Donald Trump announced an initiative Tuesday for several technology giants to invest at least $500 billion in artificial intelligence and data centers at U.S. locations over four years, a move that could shake up the electricity mix and heat up a technology race with China.<\/p>\n The Stargate Project is a new company with SoftBank, OpenAI, Oracle and MGX as lead investors. Microsoft and Nvidia are partnering in the project and construction at one site has started at a site in Texas, according to an Open AI press release. Approximately $100 billion<\/strong> is expected to be spent on Stargate \u201cimmediately,\u201d the company said.<\/p>\n At the White House, Trump said he would help with Stargate\u2019s developments \u201ca lot\u201d through emergency declarations.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to get this stuff built .\u2026 They have to produce a lot of electricity, and we\u2019ll make it possible for them to get that production done very easily,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we want to do is keep [AI infrastructure] in this country. China is a competitor,\u201d added Trump, who appeared at the White House with Softbank\u2019s CEO Masayoshi Son, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Oracle Chief Technology Officer Larry Ellison.<\/p>\n The announcement deepens the influence of large technology companies over the administration, which is working closely with Tesla CEO Elon Musk and has support from several other sector leaders. AI is a significant driver of the energy policy of Trump, who announced before his inauguration during a press conference that real estate developer Hussain Sajwani would invest $20 billion<\/a> to build data centers in eight states. He and his Cabinet picks have pushed for an increase in drilling and energy production to meet surging demand for AI.<\/p>\n The growth in AI-driven data centers is expected to be a chief determinant of the makeup of the power grid \u2014 and its emissions \u2014 over the next two decades. A December report from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory concluded that electricity demand from data centers could triple<\/a> by 2028. Many state officials \u2014 including from data center hub Virginia \u2014 have said they are uncertain how the grid will accommodate all the new power.<\/p>\n In calling for an energy emergency on Monday, Trump cited an \u201cinadequate and intermittent energy supply\u201d and unreliable grid, saying they would worsen unless action is taken to power \u201cthe next generation of technology.\u201d<\/p>\n At his confirmation hearing this month, Trump\u2019s pick to lead the Interior Department, Doug Burgum, made a similar argument, saying that \u201cclean coal\u201d could help address inadequate electricity supplies to meet demand for AI.<\/p>\n \u201cParticularly with this AI battle, people don’t understand what is coming,\u201d said Burgum before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.<\/p>\n It was not immediately clear what power sources Stargate might tap for its data centers or if the total funding amount includes previous funding for data centers announced by the companies. Stargate officials said they were currently evaluating potential sites across the country.<\/p>\n Ellison said Stargate data centers already under construction in Abilene, Texas, currently involve 10 buildings that will expand to 20. Each building is a half million square feet, he said.<\/p>\n Mandy DeRoche, a deputy managing attorney at Earthjustice, urged the technology leaders in a statement to turn to low-carbon energy in supporting AI.<\/p>\n “The projected massive growth in demand for electricity from data centers has already raised electricity rates for households and small businesses in many parts of the country and threatens to increase pollution,\u201d DeRoche said.<\/p>\n Technology giants like Microsoft have announced billion-dollar plans to build data centers around the country. In some cases, they\u2019ve inked deals to power the facilities with nuclear and low-carbon energy<\/a>.<\/p>\n On Monday, Trump rescinded a 2023 executive order from then-President Joe Biden on AI requiring developers that pose risks to national security, the economy or public health to share results from safety tests with the federal government. That order also had directed DOE<\/a> and other agencies to develop guidelines for \u201csafe\u201d AI development.<\/p>\n Electricity demand from data centers also was a top topic of discussion between Biden and Trump officials, according to outgoing DOE Deputy Energy Secretary David Turk<\/a>.<\/p>\n This story also appears in<\/i> Energywire.<\/p>\n Reprinted from <\/i>E&E News<\/i><\/a> with permission from POLITICO, LLC. Copyright 2025. E&E News provides essential news for energy and environment professionals.<\/i><\/p>\n source : https:\/\/www.scientificamerican.com\/article\/heres-whats-in-stargate-the-usd500-billion-trump-endorsed-plan-to-power-u-s\/<\/p>\n January 28, 2025<\/p>\nStargate Project unveiled for world\u2019s largest AI infrastructure<\/h2>\n