OpenAI and the Argentine energy firm Sur Energy have signed a letter of intent for a major data center initiative in Argentina, a project the government states could involve an investment of up to $25 billion.
According to an official government release, the project entails constructing a large-scale facility with a capacity of up to 500 megawatts, designed to power advanced artificial intelligence computing.
The initiative is structured under Argentina’s RIGI regime, a tax incentive scheme that became effective last year. The government statement indicated that, upon completion, the data center would rank as “one of the largest technology and energy infrastructure initiatives” in the nation’s history.
The announcement follows a period of significant growth for OpenAI, which now reports over 800 million weekly users for its ChatGPT platform. The company recently solidified its status as the world’s most valuable startup, achieving a $500 billion valuation after a secondary share sale last week.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman confirmed the venture on social media, stating, “We are proud to announce plans to launch Stargate Argentina, an exciting new infrastructure project in partnership with one of the country’s leading energy companies, Sur Energy.” Altman further highlighted that this marks the first Stargate project in Latin America, a region he described as “full of talent, creativity and ambition.”
This development arrives shortly after OpenAI’s recent developer conference, where the company unveiled a series of new partnerships with firms such as Spotify, Zillow, and Mattel, and introduced a suite of updated tools for application development.
