Today, OpenAI gets most of its data center capacity from Microsoft; however, OpenAI’s CEO wants to lessen the company’s dependence on Microsoft
ChatGPT creator OpenAI is reportedly planning to shift its compute needs away from Microsoft and instead rely on capacity provided by its Stargate partner SoftBank.
As background, President Donald Trump a few weeks ago announced Stargate, a joint venture (JV) that will invest up to $500 billion to build out AI data centers in Texas, as well as the electricity needed to run them. The initial investment is expected to be $100 billion, but the White House noted it could end up being five times that amount. In addition to SoftBank and OpenAI, Oracle and Abu Dhabi technology investor MGX are also Stargate partners. While Microsoft was initially identified as a project partner, the company has since clarified its role, stating that it is a “key initial technology partner” in Stargate, but not an equity funder like the aforementioned companies.
OpenAI reportedly told investors that it expects Stargate to provide three-quarters of the compute power it needs to run and develop its AI models by 2030, and that SoftBank will provide at least $30 billion of the $40 billion it hopes to raise to secure its $260 billion valuation, with approximately half of that money to be used to support the Stargate project.
Today, OpenAI gets most of its data center capacity from Microsoft, which is its biggest shareholder thanks to the $13 billion it injected into the generative AI company. However, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has made his desire to lessen his company’s dependence on Microsoft clear and since 2024, the company has been working on its own major data center projects to meet its increasing capacity needs.
SoftBank acquired a $2 billion stake in OpenAI last year, and since then, the Japanese company has been considering increasingly larger investments into the gen AI company, with the apparent intention of becoming its new biggest financial backer.
Earlier this month, the pair agreed to develop and market AI systems for enterprises in an offering they’re calling Cristal intelligence. The AI offering, which the two companies said will securely integrate customized systems with the enterprises’ data, will be marketed by a new joint venture the pair established named SB OpenAI Japan. In a press statement, the pair specify that Cristal intelligence “exclusively” to major Japanese companies.
