SB Energy, a company backed by SoftBank Group, has announced a strategic partnership with OpenAI to develop next-generation artificial intelligence data centre and energy infrastructure in the United States, as demand for large-scale computing capacity continues to accelerate.
The partnership is part of the Stargate initiative, which carries a planned investment commitment of up to $500 billion announced earlier this year in Washington. As part of the arrangement, OpenAI and SoftBank Group have each invested $500 million into SB Energy to support its expansion as a developer and operator of data centre campuses and associated energy systems.
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SB Energy said OpenAI has selected the company to build and operate a previously announced 1.2-gigawatt data centre campus in Milam County, Texas. The company is also developing several multi-gigawatt data centre campuses across the United States, with initial facilities under construction and expected to begin operations in 2026.
According to the company, the Milam County project is expected to generate thousands of construction jobs and has been designed to reduce water usage. SB Energy also plans to add new power generation capacity to support the facility’s energy needs while limiting the impact on local electricity customers.
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Separately, SB Energy said Ares Infrastructure Opportunities and its investor partners have committed $800 million in redeemable preferred equity to support the company’s growth. The investment marks the third round of financing between Ares and SB Energy since 2020, further strengthening their long-term partnership in data centre and energy infrastructure development.
Source: OpenAI