We come in peace, OpenAI tells locals near gargantuan Stargate facilities
(2026/01/21)
- Reference: 1769014047
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2026/01/21/stargate_openai_community_plans/
- Source link:
OpenAI wants every Stargate datacenter campus to come with its own community plan reflecting "local concerns," including a commitment not to cause a hike in electricity prices, minimizing water use, and protecting local ecosystems.
The Stargate project, launched [1]almost exactly a year ago , aims to spend as much as $500 billion on infrastructure to power AI development over the next several years.
However, datacenter projects have been facing increasing opposition from local communities, especially massive projects such as those at Stargate's site Abilene, Texas, where ten buildings each covering half a million square feet are being constructed.
[2]
Such developments can dominate the landscape, and communities living in their shadow have complained about noise, the amount of water and energy they might consume, and that they tend not to create many long-term local jobs.
[3]
[4]
Research org [5]Data Center Watch reported that 20 US server farm projects were blocked or delayed amid local opposition during Q2 2025 alone.
In response, OpenAI says it is "committed to working with communities" to ensure its Stargate campuses are built and run in a way that strengthens such communities and "demonstrates that we're being good neighbors."
[6]
It promises locally-tailored community plans for every campus, driven by input from residents. However, each plan will include a commitment to pay its own way on energy, so that the project's operations don't lead to a jump in electricity prices.
Stargate may fund extra generating capacity and grid upgrades, for example, as well as working with power companies on operating AI campuses as flexible loads, so that its facilities can reduce or curtail their consumption during periods of peak demand.
[7]SoftBank scrambling to come up with $22.5B in OpenAI funding before New Year
[8]Former UK chancellor George Osborne finds something to do at OpenAI
[9]Delays? What delays? Oracle insists its $300B cloud contract with OpenAI is on track
[10]Altman sticks a different hand out, wants tax credits instead of gov loans
This sounds laudable, but a cynic might point to the fact that President Trump recently declared that [11]tech giants ought to pay their way when it comes to delivering the extra power they need, and Microsoft has already beaten them to it with its announcement of "Community-First AI Infrastructure."
Another pledge is to minimize water use by prioritizing closed-loop or low-water cooling systems. Many AI server systems run so hot that they need direct-to-chip liquid cooling infrastructure, which requires less water than more traditional methods involving evaporation.
OpenAI also says it will invest in local jobs by establishing OpenAI Academies as the backbone of regional workforce development in communities close to its facilities. However, the Wall Street Journal reported that Stargate's site in Texas will only have [12]about 100 full-time workers once operational, although many more will be employed during the construction phase.
[13]
The firm recently announced it has hired [14]former UK Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne to head up OpenAI for Countries, an initiative to export the company's Stargate project to other nations beyond the US. ®
Get our [15]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2025/01/22/openai_stargate_ai_datacenter_company/
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aXEGN07lnxrSRDd2pRln0AAAAAo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aXEGN07lnxrSRDd2pRln0AAAAAo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aXEGN07lnxrSRDd2pRln0AAAAAo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://www.datacenterwatch.org/q22025
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aXEGN07lnxrSRDd2pRln0AAAAAo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2025/12/22/softbank_funding_openai/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2025/12/17/openai_george_osborne/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2025/12/15/oracle_denies_openai_delays/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2025/11/10/altman_ai_tax_credit/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/13/trump_datacenter_power_costs/
[12] https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai-data-center-job-creation-48038b67
[13] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aXEGN07lnxrSRDd2pRln0AAAAAo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2025/12/17/openai_george_osborne/
[15] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
The Stargate project, launched [1]almost exactly a year ago , aims to spend as much as $500 billion on infrastructure to power AI development over the next several years.
However, datacenter projects have been facing increasing opposition from local communities, especially massive projects such as those at Stargate's site Abilene, Texas, where ten buildings each covering half a million square feet are being constructed.
[2]
Such developments can dominate the landscape, and communities living in their shadow have complained about noise, the amount of water and energy they might consume, and that they tend not to create many long-term local jobs.
[3]
[4]
Research org [5]Data Center Watch reported that 20 US server farm projects were blocked or delayed amid local opposition during Q2 2025 alone.
In response, OpenAI says it is "committed to working with communities" to ensure its Stargate campuses are built and run in a way that strengthens such communities and "demonstrates that we're being good neighbors."
[6]
It promises locally-tailored community plans for every campus, driven by input from residents. However, each plan will include a commitment to pay its own way on energy, so that the project's operations don't lead to a jump in electricity prices.
Stargate may fund extra generating capacity and grid upgrades, for example, as well as working with power companies on operating AI campuses as flexible loads, so that its facilities can reduce or curtail their consumption during periods of peak demand.
[7]SoftBank scrambling to come up with $22.5B in OpenAI funding before New Year
[8]Former UK chancellor George Osborne finds something to do at OpenAI
[9]Delays? What delays? Oracle insists its $300B cloud contract with OpenAI is on track
[10]Altman sticks a different hand out, wants tax credits instead of gov loans
This sounds laudable, but a cynic might point to the fact that President Trump recently declared that [11]tech giants ought to pay their way when it comes to delivering the extra power they need, and Microsoft has already beaten them to it with its announcement of "Community-First AI Infrastructure."
Another pledge is to minimize water use by prioritizing closed-loop or low-water cooling systems. Many AI server systems run so hot that they need direct-to-chip liquid cooling infrastructure, which requires less water than more traditional methods involving evaporation.
OpenAI also says it will invest in local jobs by establishing OpenAI Academies as the backbone of regional workforce development in communities close to its facilities. However, the Wall Street Journal reported that Stargate's site in Texas will only have [12]about 100 full-time workers once operational, although many more will be employed during the construction phase.
[13]
The firm recently announced it has hired [14]former UK Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne to head up OpenAI for Countries, an initiative to export the company's Stargate project to other nations beyond the US. ®
Get our [15]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2025/01/22/openai_stargate_ai_datacenter_company/
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aXEGN07lnxrSRDd2pRln0AAAAAo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aXEGN07lnxrSRDd2pRln0AAAAAo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aXEGN07lnxrSRDd2pRln0AAAAAo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://www.datacenterwatch.org/q22025
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aXEGN07lnxrSRDd2pRln0AAAAAo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2025/12/22/softbank_funding_openai/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2025/12/17/openai_george_osborne/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2025/12/15/oracle_denies_openai_delays/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2025/11/10/altman_ai_tax_credit/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/13/trump_datacenter_power_costs/
[12] https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai-data-center-job-creation-48038b67
[13] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aXEGN07lnxrSRDd2pRln0AAAAAo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2025/12/17/openai_george_osborne/
[15] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/