OpenAI is searching the U.S. for websites to develop a network of substantial information centers to power its expert system technology, expanding beyond a flagship Texas location and looking throughout 16 states to speed up the Stargate project promoted by President Donald Trump.

The maker of ChatGPT put out an ask for proposals for land, electricity, engineers and architects and began visiting areas in Oregon, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin this week.

Trump promoted Stargate, a newly formed joint endeavor in between OpenAI, Oracle and Softbank, quickly after returning to the White House last month.

The collaboration said it is investing $100 billion - and eventually approximately $500 billion - to build large-scale data centers and the energy generation needed to more AI development. Trump called the job a "resounding statement of confidence in America ´ s possible" under his new administration, though the very first job in Abilene, Texas, has been under construction for months.

Elon Musk, a Trump consultant and fierce competitor of OpenAI who remains in a legal fight with the company and its CEO Sam Altman, has publicly questioned the worth of Stargate's investments.

After Trump's announcement, a number of states connected to OpenAI about welcoming extra information centers, Chris Lehane, OpenAI's vice president of worldwide affairs, told press reporters Thursday.

The business's ask for proposals calls for websites with "proximity to essential infrastructure consisting of power and water."

AI utilizes large amounts of energy, much of which originates from burning nonrenewable fuel sources, which causes environment change. Data centers also generally draw in large amounts of water for cooling. Some tech giants have actually begun funding nuclear power to plug into their data centers.

OpenAI's proposal makes no reference of whether it plans to focus on sustainable energy sources such as wind or solar to power the data centers. But it states electrical power providers must have a plan to handle carbon emissions and water use.

"There ´ s some websites we ´ re looking at where we desire to assist become part of the process that brings brand-new power to that site, either from new gas release or other ways," said Keith Heyde, funsilo.date who directs OpenAI ´ s facilities method.

The first Texas job remains in a region Abilene Mayor Weldon Hurt has explained to The Associated Press as abundant in several energy sources, consisting of wind, solar and gas. Also explaining it that way is the company that began developing the AI data center school there in June - the same 2 "huge, stunning buildings" that Altman flaunted in a recent drone video posted on social media.

Crusoe CEO Chase Lochmiller said that wind power is main to the task his business is building, though it will likewise have a gas-fired generator for backup power.

"We attempt to develop data centers in places where we can access affordable, clean and abundant energy resources," Lochmiller said. "West Texas really fits that mold where it's one of the most consistently windy and sunny places in the United States."

Lochmiller said he expects the Trump administration, in spite of the president's opposition to wind farms, to be pragmatic in supporting wind-powered information centers when it is "in fact the most affordable method to gain access to energy."

Data centers taken in about 4.4% of all U.S. electricity in 2023 which ´ s anticipated to increase to 6.7% to 12% of overall U.S. electrical energy by 2028, according to the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory.

The other states where OpenAI is actively looking include Arizona, California, Florida, Louisiana, Maryland, Nevada, New York City, akropolistravel.com Ohio, Utah, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia. Heyde said the company only plans to develop "someplace between 5 to 10" campuses in total, depending on how large every one is.

OpenAI previously depended on company partner Microsoft for its computing needs. But the two business just recently changed their partnership to allow OpenAI to pursue information center advancement by itself.

Associated Press author Jamey Keaten contributed to this report.

The Associated Press and OpenAI have a licensing and technology contract that allows OpenAI access to part of AP ´ s text archives.