OpenAI, Oracle, SoftBank Announce 5 New AI Data Centers in U.S.

PUBLISHED Aug 22, 2026, 4:13 PM ET

OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank announced five U.S. data-center sites on Sept. 23, 2025, expanding the Stargate artificial-intelligence infrastructure program to nearly 7 gigawatts of planned capacity. The sites are in Shackelford County, Texas; Doña Ana County, New Mexico; Lordstown, Ohio; Milam County, Texas; and a Midwest location later identified as Wisconsin. OpenAI said the five sites, Abilene, Texas, and CoreWeave projects represented more than $400 billion in planned investment over three years. The companies initially said the two SoftBank-linked sites could scale to 1.5 gigawatts within 18 months. OpenAI’s announcement said the broader Stargate goal was $500 billion and 10 gigawatts of U.S. infrastructure. The supplied story is materially misdated: the five-site announcement occurred in September 2025, not August 2026. More recent developments have changed the landscape, including an Ohio data-center lease backed by Nvidia announced Aug. 17, 2026. No new five-site announcement was located in the final freshness search.

By Emily Rhodes | JQJO News

Media Bias

Articles Published:: 30
Right Leaning:: 1
Left Leaning:: 3
Neutral:: 26

Explain Framing

Left: Left coverage emphasized environmental costs, financing risks, and community concerns. Center: Center coverage emphasized announced sites, capacity figures, partners, and timelines. Right: Right coverage emphasized American competitiveness, jobs, investment, and China competition.