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OpenAI, Oracle, and Vantage Data Centers have teamed up to build a state-of-the-art data center campus in Wisconsin. The facility is part of the Stargate project, which aims to keep the US at the forefront of global artificial intelligence (AI) competition. The new Port Washington campus will be developed as part of a partnership between OpenAI and Oracle, announced in July. The Stargate project, which could cost up to $500 billion and provide 10 gigawatts of power, also includes Japanese tech investor SoftBank Group. The first AI data center under this initiative is being set up in Abilene, Texas. OpenAI and its backer Microsoft are among the tech giants investing billions into data centers to support generative AI services like ChatGPT and Copilot that require massive computing power. The new Wisconsin campus, dubbed Lighthouse, is scheduled for completion in 2028. It is expected to create over 4,000 skilled construction jobs, most of which will be union positions. The facility and other Stargate campuses developed with Oracle will provide over 4.5 gigawatts of IT capacity. Vantage Data Centers will invest over $15 billion in Port Washington as part of this project. Once completed, Vantage and Oracle are expected to create over 1,000 long-term jobs, along with thousands more indirect employment opportunities. The Stargate project is part of a larger plan by OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank to build five new AI data centers in the US. This ambitious initiative underscores the growing importance of AI technology in sensitive sectors such as defense and national security.
