Stargate, 500 billion AI project slows down: first data centre (possibly) in Ohio

You remember Stargate. It was one of Trump's very first announcements, back in the White House. And it was supposed to be the American technological revival, made of innovation and investment. But today, from a symbol of US-made technological supremacy, it seems to be turning into a rather scaled-down project.

The ambitious $500 billion initiative involving major players (from OpenAI, SoftBank and Oracle) is intended to accelerate the development of artificial intelligence in the United States. But according to the Wall Street Journal, it has changed course. Or at least, it has already lost its momentum.

According to the American newspaper, the short-term goal is now much smaller: to build a small data centre, perhaps in Ohio, by the end of the year.

It is worth remembering that, when it was announced by Trump (it was last January), Stargate seemed to embody the epicentre of the new AI race desired by the new US president. A kind of mega-plan, celebrated at the White House in a meeting with top managers from Silicon Valley. The goals: 100,000 new jobs and 100 billion in immediate investment, with another 400 billion coming in the next four years.

The reality, at least for now, seems much less exciting. OpenAI and SoftBank - the protagonists of the joint venture - allegedly had strong disagreements on the key terms of the partnership, including the location of the facilities. And according to sources quoted by the WSJ, the lack of a shared vision would have slowed down the whole project.