A second wave of artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure projects, nine in total, recently started to do the same for AI technology across the United States. Further down the list, the also highly anticipated Stargate project comes in 2nd. Former President Donald Trump has called it “the largest AI infrastructure project in history.” This hugely ambitious initiative aims to establish a state-wide network of data hubs. These centers will help meet the federal government’s new demand for AI technologies.
Stargate, which is currently still under construction in Abilene, Texas. Under the bill, the project would have been reduced to eight data centers. Our goal is to have that last building open and operating by the end of 2026. Given the ambitious scale of this project, it has understandably drawn worldwide attention and investment from big technology players.
Elon Musk’s xAI has recently set up a data-center/power-generation compound in South Memphis, Tennessee. Yet, this facility has come under fire for recently becoming one of the county’s biggest contributors to smog-producing chemicals.
The monetary support for these projects is mind-blowing. Google Cloud recently signed a $10 billion partnership aimed primarily at Stargate. At the same time, Meta wants to invest $600 billion in U.S. infrastructure through 2028. And a new one, Hyperion, is currently in the works in Louisiana. With a projected cost of $10 billion, it promises to provide something on the order of 5 gigawatts of compute power.
Meta’s financial investments have ballooned. The company has spent $30 billion more in just the first half of 2025 over last year. This increase is primarily propelled by Meta’s growing aspirations in AI technology.
OpenAI, the most visible player in the AI ecosystem today, has raised near $1 billion investments. Particularly now that the state’s main economic development organization just scored a $100 billion investment from the company. They executed a huge five-year $300 billion Oracle cloud compute power contract that is scheduled to begin in 2027.
OpenAI is making a massive pivot of its own cloud strategy. Microsoft had placed an enormous $14 billion bet on OpenAI, but the close partnership has lately come apart at the seams. Now, OpenAI is deeply exploring non-Microsoft-exclusive options according to other sources within the industry.
Anthropic has recently landed a remarkable $8 billion investment from Amazon. This change reflects just how cutthroat the AI investment space has become.
These changes signal a pretty significant and consequential policy shift,” said Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI. He proclaimed, “I believe this will be the signature project of this generation.” His remarks reflect the broader sentiment among industry leaders about the impact these infrastructure projects will have on the future of technology.
As these ambitious undertakings become reality, they are often paired with commitments from local political leaders. Just as President Trump has promised to cut all regulatory red tape in his path. This will in turn accelerate the construction of Stargate and other such awesome projects.
With a multitude of initiatives emerging across various states, one thing is clear: the race to build AI infrastructure is not just a technological endeavor but a significant economic strategy poised to reshape industries. Since then, major investments have flowed in, and construction is accelerating. Stakeholders are attentively monitoring how these projects will play out and help shape the trajectory of artificial intelligence and its applications in society.