OpenAI and SoftBank invest $1 billion in SB Energy to power next-generation AI data centers

OpenAI, SoftBank Invest $1 Billion in Stargate Partner SB Energy

The investment is part of OpenAI's Stargate initiative, a joint project to spend $500 billion on data centers and infrastructure for AI in the US over four years. OpenAI and SoftBank Group Corp. have jointly invested $1 billion in SB Energy, an infrastructure company that's working with the tech firms on a massive US buildout of data centers to power artificial intelligence. OpenAI and SoftBank will each invest $500 million in SB Energy to support the energy firm's growth as a data center developer and operator, the companies said in a statement Friday. OpenAI also said it has selected SB Energy to build and operate its 1.2 gigawatt data center in Milam County, Texas. A single gigawatt is enough to power roughly 750,000 US homes at any given moment. The companies did not disclose a valuation for the investment. For large tech firms, securing power is key in their quest to satisfy lofty AI ambitions. That's created a race for energy to support more and larger data centers -- and is helping drive up electricity demand. The need for power is leading some to invest in suppliers or plants, or line up their own energy sources. Meta Platforms Inc. on Friday said it has agreed to deals that could ultimately total more than 6 gigawatts of nuclear power. SB Energy, which has long been backed by SoftBank, was founded as a renewable and storage developer, but has in recent years expanded into developing, owning and operating data centers. The new funding follows SB Energy lining up $800 million last year from Ares Infrastructure Opportunities funds. The tie-up with SoftBank and OpenAI adds to a growing web of interconnected deals between tech companies that are helping to prop up the AI sector and raising concerns about the possible fallout if demand for artificial intelligence falls short of expectations. SoftBank is one of OpenAI's largest investors. The SB Energy partnership builds on OpenAI's Stargate initiative, a joint project between the AI startup and partners including SoftBank and Oracle Corp with the goal of spending $500 billion on data centers and infrastructure for AI in the US over four years. The project's first site is a massive data center in Abilene, Texas, developed by Oracle and built alongside development partner Crusoe. SB Energy is developing several multi-gigawatt data center campuses.

OpenAI, SoftBank invest $1 billion in SB Energy as Stargate buildout expands

Jan 9 (Reuters) - OpenAI and SoftBank Group (9984.T), opens new tab will jointly invest $1 billion in SB Energy, a SoftBank-owned provider of data-center and power infrastructure, as part of their $500 billion Stargate initiative aimed at building out AI infrastructure. OpenAI and SoftBank will each invest $500 million in SB Energy, which will build and operate OpenAI's previously announced 1.2-gigawatt data center site in Milam County, Texas, SB Energy said. SB Energy will also become a customer of OpenAI, using its application programming interfaces and deploying ChatGPT for employees, the company said. Stargate, a large-scale computing and infrastructure effort, sits at the center of the U.S. push to expand domestic AI capacity. President Donald Trump backed the initiative when the companies announced the plan in January 2025. Oracle (ORCL.N), opens new tab and Abu Dhabi-based tech investor MGX are among the other major investors in the project. OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank said in September 2025 they planned five new U.S. computing sites across Texas, New Mexico and Ohio. The companies said the sites, once operating, should add up to about seven gigawatts of power capacity. SB Energy is currently developing several data-center campuses, with initial facilities expected to begin service this year. Reporting by Deborah Sophia in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

OpenAI and SoftBank Group announce $1 billion investment in SB Energy as part of massive AI buildout

SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman attend an event to pitch AI for businesses in Tokyo, Japan Feb. 3, 2025. OpenAI and SoftBank Group announced plans to invest $1 billion in SB Energy as part of a strategic partnership that will support OpenAI's artificial intelligence infrastructure buildout. The partnership is part of the $500 billion Stargate commitment that OpenAI, SoftBank and Oracle announced last January at the White House, according to a Friday release. As part of the agreement, SB Energy will build and operate OpenAI's 1.2 gigawatt data center site in Milam County, Texas that was announced in September. "Partnering with SB Energy brings together their strength in data center infrastructure and energy development and OpenAI's deep domain expertise in data center engineering," Greg Brockman, OpenAI's president, said in a statement on Friday. "The result is a fast, reliable way to scale compute through large, highly optimized AI data centers." SB Energy is backed by SoftBank and Ares Management.

SoftBank, OpenAI Commit $1 Billion To SB Energy For AI Data Centers - NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA), SoftBank Group (OTC:SFTBF)

OpenAI and SoftBank Group (OTC:SFTBF) (OTC:SFTBY) are teaming up on a $1 billion investment in SB Energy to power the next generation of massive AI data centers in the United States, as part of the Stargate project. AI Data Centers Boom The partnership, announced on Friday, will see OpenAI and SoftBank each invest $500 million in SB Energy, which is a subsidiary of SoftBank, to help meet growing demand for AI computing power. Additionally, OpenAI has chosen SB Energy to construct and operate its 1.2 GW data center site in Milam County. According to SB Energy, the California-based clean energy and digital infrastructure platform is currently working on several multi-gigawatt data center campuses, with the first facilities expected to become operational in 2026. SB Energy's co-CEO, Rich Hossfeld, emphasized that the partnership accelerates the delivery of advanced AI data center campuses and associated energy infrastructure at the scale required to advance Stargate and secure America's AI future. SoftBank's Expanding AI Bet This partnership follows SoftBank Group's substantial investment in OpenAI. In December, the Japanese conglomerate completed its $40 billion investment, marking a significant commitment to the future of artificial intelligence. Earlier, SoftBank sold $5.8 billion worth of Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA) shares to fund its commitment to OpenAI. Photo: Shutterstock Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors. NVDANVIDIA Corp$184.970.06%OverviewSFTBFSoftBank Group CorpNot Available-%SFTBYSoftBank Group Corp$14.10-%Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

SoftBank and OpenAI invest $1 billion in SB Energy for AI data centers By Investing.com

Investing.com -- SoftBank Group Corp. and OpenAI have jointly invested $1 billion in SB Energy to support the infrastructure company's expansion as a data center developer and operator. The investment, announced Friday in a statement to Bloomberg, will be split equally with each company contributing $500 million to SB Energy, which is working with the tech firms on a large-scale buildout of data centers across the United States to power artificial intelligence systems. In addition to the investment, OpenAI has selected SB Energy to build and operate its 1.2 gigawatt data center in Milam County, Texas. A facility of this size would generate enough power to supply approximately 750,000 American homes at any given moment. The partnership highlights the growing infrastructure demands of advanced AI technologies as companies expand their computing capabilities. This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.

OpenAI and SoftBank invest $1bn in SB Energy to support the AI boom

OpenAI and SoftBank have announced a joint $1bn investment in SB Energy, aimed at accelerating the build-out of critical infrastructure for artificial intelligence. The strategic partnership, backed by the sweeping $500bn Stargate program unveiled in January at the White House, includes plans to develop a 1.2-gigawatt data center in Milam County, Texas. SB Energy, backed by SoftBank and Ares Management, will be responsible for building and operating the power-hungry facilities. According to OpenAI, the goal is to create a new data-center model that is both optimized, quick to deploy and energy-efficient, combining OpenAI's technological expertise with SB Energy's execution capabilities. Several multi-gigawatt campuses are already under development, and the first units are expected to come online this year. The partnership is based on a non-exclusive preferred agreement, including OpenAI's proprietary design and direct energy integration. The initiative is part of a string of massive projects launched by OpenAI to meet surging demand for computing capacity. Since the Stargate announcement, the start-up has raised $40bn in a funding round led by SoftBank, with participation from Microsoft and other major funds. OpenAI has also signed more than $1.4 trillion in infrastructure contracts. The company, which is still unprofitable, is targeting revenue of over $20bn in 2025 and aims to reach several hundred billion by 2030.

OpenAI, SoftBank to Invest $1 Billion in SB Energy in New Partnership

SoftBank's company SB Energy is working with OpenAI to help develop its artificial-intelligence infrastructure platform Stargate. OpenAI and SoftBank are each investing $500 million into SB Energy as part of the partnership. The owner of ChatGPT also selected SB Energy to build and operate its previously announced 1.2 gigawatt data center site in Milam County, Texas. The project is expected to create thousands of construction jobs, OpenAI said. As part of the deal, OpenAI, SoftBank and SB Energy have formed a preferred partnership to develop a new model for data-center builds. SB Energy also secured $800 million of redeemable preferred equity from Ares to support its growth. SB Energy is currently developing several multi-gigawatt data-center campuses, which are expected to enter service starting this year.