Dubbed ‘OpenAI for Countries’, the project will sit within Stargate and offer partnerships with countries to help build out their own data centre capacity.
The world’s most valuable startup said facilities developed through the scheme will be used to “support the sovereignty of a country’s data” and help nations customise their own locally focused AI systems.
OpenAI said in a statement: “We’ve heard from many countries asking for help in building out similar AI infrastructure, that they want their own Stargates and similar projects,” the company said in a statement.
“It’s clear to everyone now that this kind of infrastructure is going to be the backbone of future economic growth and national development.”
Since OpenAI, along with Oracle, SoftBank, and MGX unveiled Stargate back in January, several efforts have emerged from nations looking to rival the US-centric project.
France secured €109 billion ($123 billion) in AI infrastructure investments in February, with French President Emmanuel Macron saying the figure was “at the right scale” to those across the Atlantic.
The UK government, meanwhile, is pressing ahead with attempts to woo AI data centres with its AI Opportunities Action Plan, which includes building dedicated ‘Growth Zones’ where new sites can leverage localised grid connections and tax breaks.
Reports had surfaced in April that OpenAI was looking to take Stargate across the pond, with a view to taking on projects in Europe.
OpenAI confirmed it plans to pursue 10 projects “as the first phase of this initiative, and expand from there”.
While the startup failed to state where those projects might be, it said it plans to work with both “individual countries” and “regions,” meaning larger supranational groups like the EU or the African Union could be set to benefit.
“We look forward to engaging with interested countries through their representatives in the US and through our executives based in our offices around the world,” the company said in a statement.
Shortly after announcing OpenAI for Countries, CEO Sam Altman posted photos on X (formerly Twitter) of ongoing construction of the first Stargate site in Abilene, Texas.
Altman said the site would be the “biggest AI training facility in the world,” adding: “The scale, speed, and skill of the people building this is awesome.”
Stargate 1 pic.twitter.com/FquL6lOE9X
— Sam Altman (@sama) May 7, 2025
The move comes just a few days after OpenAI confirmed the future of the firm would still be controlled by its nonprofit arm, after it finalised its restructuring efforts in a bid to raise more capital to fuel projects like Stargate.
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