OpenAI is searching the U.S. for websites to build a network of substantial information centers to power its synthetic intelligence innovation, broadening beyond a flagship Texas area and looking throughout 16 states to accelerate the Stargate task championed by President Donald Trump.

The maker of ChatGPT put out a demand for proposals for land, electricity, engineers and architects and began going to areas in Oregon, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin this week.

Trump touted Stargate, a newly formed joint venture in between OpenAI, Oracle and Softbank, shortly after returning to the White House last month.

The partnership said it is investing $100 billion - and ultimately up to $500 billion - to build massive information centers and the energy generation required to further AI advancement. Trump called the job a "resounding statement of confidence in America ´ s prospective" under his new administration, though the first project in Abilene, Texas, has actually been under building for months.

Elon Musk, a Trump consultant and fierce competitor of OpenAI who remains in a legal fight with the business and its CEO Sam Altman, has actually openly questioned the value of Stargate's financial investments.

After Trump's announcement, a variety of states reached out to OpenAI about inviting extra information centers, Chris Lehane, OpenAI's vice president of international affairs, told press reporters Thursday.

The company's request for proposals requires sites with "proximity to essential facilities consisting of power and water."

AI utilizes large quantities of energy, much of which comes from burning fossil fuels, which triggers climate modification. Data centers likewise normally draw in large quantities of water for cooling. Some tech giants have actually started funding nuclear power to plug into their data centers.

OpenAI's proposition makes no mention of whether it plans to prioritize sustainable energy sources such as wind or solar to power the data centers. But it says electrical energy suppliers ought to have a plan to handle carbon emissions and water use.

"There ´ s some websites we ´ re taking a look at where we wish to assist be part of the procedure that brings brand-new power to that website, either from brand-new gas implementation or other means," said Keith Heyde, who directs OpenAI ´ s infrastructure technique.

The first Texas project remains in an area Abilene Mayor Weldon Hurt has actually explained to The Associated Press as abundant in several energy sources, consisting of wind, solar and gas. Also explaining it that way is the business that began developing the AI information center school there in June - the very same 2 "big, lovely structures" that Altman displayed in a recent drone video published on social networks.

Crusoe CEO Chase Lochmiller said that wind power is main to the task his company is constructing, though it will likewise have a gas-fired generator for backup power.

"We try to build information centers in places where we can access low-cost, clean and abundant energy resources," Lochmiller said. "West Texas actually fits that mold where it's one of the most consistently windy and bright locations in the United States."

Lochmiller said he anticipates the Trump administration, despite the president's opposition to wind farms, to be pragmatic in supporting wind-powered information centers when it is "in fact the most affordable method to gain access to energy."

Data centers consumed about 4.4% of all U.S. electrical energy in 2023 and that ´ s anticipated to increase to 6.7% to 12% of total U.S. electrical energy by 2028, according to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

The other states where OpenAI is actively looking include Arizona, California, Florida, Louisiana, Maryland, Nevada, New York City, annunciogratis.net Ohio, Utah, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia. Heyde said the business just prepares to construct "someplace between 5 to 10" campuses in total, depending upon how large each one is.

OpenAI formerly relied on organization partner Microsoft for its computing requires. But the 2 business recently modified their collaboration to allow OpenAI to pursue information center development by itself.

Associated Press writer Jamey Keaten added to this report.

The Associated Press and OpenAI have a licensing and technology arrangement that allows OpenAI access to part of AP ´ s text archives.