OpenAI and SoftBank have announced a joint $1bn investment in SB Energy, aimed at accelerating the build-out of critical infrastructure for artificial intelligence. The strategic partnership, backed by the sweeping $500bn Stargate program unveiled in January at the White House, includes plans to develop a 1.2-gigawatt data center in Milam County, Texas. SB Energy, backed by SoftBank and Ares Management, will be responsible for building and operating the power-hungry facilities.

According to OpenAI, the goal is to create a new data-center model that is both optimized, quick to deploy and energy-efficient, combining OpenAI's technological expertise with SB Energy's execution capabilities. Several multi-gigawatt campuses are already under development, and the first units are expected to come online this year. The partnership is based on a non-exclusive preferred agreement, including OpenAI's proprietary design and direct energy integration.

The initiative is part of a string of massive projects launched by OpenAI to meet surging demand for computing capacity. Since the Stargate announcement, the start-up has raised $40bn in a funding round led by SoftBank, with participation from Microsoft and other major funds. OpenAI has also signed more than $1.4 trillion in infrastructure contracts. The company, which is still unprofitable, is targeting revenue of over $20bn in 2025 and aims to reach several hundred billion by 2030.