Deployment Case Study: OpenAI-Oracle Stargate
The Stargate AI Data Center, a joint project between OpenAI and Oracle, is planned to be one of the largest AI facilities in the world. Located in Texas, Stargate represents a new generation of AI-native campuses designed for multi-gigawatt capacity and frontier-scale training. With a projected scale of 5–10 GW, Stargate rivals heavy industrial complexes in size and energy demand. It will serve as the primary infrastructure backbone for OpenAI’s future models, hosted within Oracle’s cloud ecosystem.
Overview
- Location: Texas, U.S.
- Operators: OpenAI + Oracle
- Scale: 5–10 GW planned capacity
- Role: Primary training and inference hub for OpenAI frontier models
- Timeline: Early phases under development, multi-year rollout
Deployment Characteristics
| Dimension | Details |
|---|---|
| Compute | Hundreds of thousands of GPUs across phases, integrated into Oracle Cloud |
| Networking | High-radix InfiniBand + optical interconnects for exascale training workloads |
| Power | 5–10 GW planned — among the largest DC power footprints globally |
| Cooling | Liquid cooling and immersion pilots expected |
| Campus Design | AI-native “mega campus” optimized for large language model training |
| Energy Model | Likely mix of grid-tie, renewable PPAs, and on-site DER |
Strategic Significance
- Scale: At 5–10 GW, Stargate would exceed most hyperscaler campuses by several factors.
- Partnership: Combines OpenAI’s model roadmap with Oracle’s infrastructure and enterprise cloud platform.
- Cloud Integration: Built directly into Oracle Cloud, giving enterprises access to frontier-scale AI.
- National Impact: Sited in Texas, near abundant energy and fiber, reinforcing the region as an AI hub.
Key Challenges
- Energy Demand: Securing 5–10 GW requires long-term partnerships with utilities, renewables, and possibly nuclear providers.
- Infrastructure: Multi-year phased construction, with each phase rivaling a hyperscale campus.
- Competition: Meta Hyperion, xAI Colossus, and others are racing to deploy at similar scales.
- Cooling: Managing multi-GW clusters with high-density GPU racks demands new cooling approaches.
Future Outlook
- Phase 1: Early build-outs integrated into Oracle Cloud for OpenAI model hosting.
- 2030 Horizon: Full multi-GW build-out complete, supporting multi-trillion parameter models.
- Energy Roadmap: Renewable and nuclear partnerships to ensure sustainability.
- Market Role: Positions Oracle Cloud as a key player in the AI infrastructure race.
FAQ
- How big is Stargate? Planned capacity of 5–10 GW, one of the largest DC projects globally.
- Who operates it? Jointly developed by OpenAI and Oracle, hosted within Oracle Cloud.
- What makes it unique? Scale, direct integration with frontier AI workloads, and cloud-first deployment model.
- How fast is it being built? Multi-phase, but early reports suggest aggressive timelines in line with AI demand.
- How does it compare to Colossus? Colossus achieved GPU coherence first; Stargate’s advantage is deep enterprise cloud integration.