Sam Altman is pushing plans for massive investment in AI infrastructure in the US. At the same time, two unnamed companies are considering building $125 billion mega data centers in North Dakota.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is ramping up efforts to attract global investors for building AI infrastructure in the United States. According to an insider, initial investments could reach tens of billions of dollars.
The proposed projects include constructing data centers, expanding energy capacity and transmission, and boosting semiconductor production. Potential backers include investors from Canada, South Korea, Japan, and the United Arab Emirates. Some of this investment might support the $100 billion Stargate project from Microsoft and OpenAI.
In recent weeks, OpenAI executives, including Altman himself, have met with investors to advance the project. Altman has previously stressed the urgent need for US infrastructure to power AI, which he sees as crucial for maintaining the country's technological edge against authoritarian governments.
Two tech giants eye North Dakota for massive AI data centers
Meanwhile, North Dakota might host enormous AI data centers. Josh Teigen, the state's Commerce Commissioner, told the Public Service Commission that two unnamed companies are considering building such facilities.
Teigen said the companies, each reportedly worth $1 trillion, initially plan to build data centers with 500 to 1,000 megawatts capacity. They aim to expand to 5 to 10 gigawatts in coming years. Each supercomputer project could cost over $125 billion. Potential companies behind these plans include Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Nvidia, Meta, and Apple.
For context, Microsoft's global Azure cloud computing data centers consumed about 5 gigawatts of electricity at the end of last year.
US states compete for billion-dollar AI investments
Teigen urged state officials to act quickly to secure the AI data centers for North Dakota. He warned that other states or countries could seize the opportunity if North Dakota hesitated.
Industry experts say North Dakota has attracted attention because it's one of few states producing more energy than it consumes. It's the third-largest crude oil producer in the US, after Texas and New Mexico.
However, data centers don't always win local support. Some worry about noise from cooling systems or backup generators. The Morton County Commission in North Dakota plans a hearing this month on a possible temporary ban on data centers in its jurisdiction.
