OpenAI visits Oregon while scouting data center sites – OregonLive
The OpenAI logo is seen on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen which displays output from ChatGPT, March 21, 2023, in Boston.AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, FileOpenAI is scouting Oregon and 15 other states as it prepares to build a network of huge data centers to power its artificial intelligence technology, expanding beyond a flagship Texas location and looking across 16 states to accelerate the Stargate project championed by President Donald Trump.The lead site will be in Texas but OpenAI plans to build in several other locations, too. After putting out a request for proposals it began visiting locations in Oregon, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin this week.Business Oregon, the state’s economic development agency, said had not submitted any proposal for the Stargate project. “Our office first received a call from a consultant connected to it on Tuesday, and we subsequently are setting up another with them and our business development staff to learn more,” said Nathan Buehler, spokesperson for Business Oregon.The state already has a huge data center industry, with Amazon, Apple, Google, LinkedIn, Meta, Oracle and Elon Musk’s social networking site X operating across the state.Trump touted Stargate, a newly formed joint venture between OpenAI, Oracle and Softbank, shortly after returning to the White House last month. The partnership said it is investing $100 billion — and eventually up to $500 billion — to build large-scale data centers and the energy generation needed to further AI development. Trump called the project a “resounding declaration of confidence in America’s potential” under his new administration, though the first project in Abilene, Texas, has been under construction for months.Musk, a Trump adviser and fierce rival of OpenAI who’s in a legal fight with the company and its CEO Sam Altman, has publicly questioned the value of Stargate’s investments.After Trump’s announcement, a number of states reached out to OpenAI about welcoming additional data centers, Chris Lehane, OpenAI’s vice president of global affairs, told reporters Thursday.The company’s request for proposals calls for sites with “proximity to necessary infrastructure including power and water.”Big tech companies receive more than $200 million in tax breaks annually for their Oregon operations. The data centers are driving a huge uptick in power usage in the state, straining the regional power grid. Update: This article has been updated with comment from Business Oregon. If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, (updated 8/1/2024) and acknowledgement of our Privacy Policy, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/1/2025).© 2025 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us). The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local.Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site.YouTube’s privacy policy is available here and YouTube’s terms of service is available here.Ad Choices
