OpenAI is scouring the U.S. for sites to build a network of huge data centers to power its artificial intelligence technology, expanding beyond a flagship Texas location and looking across 16 states to accelerate the Stargate project championed by President Donald Trump.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) -ChatGPT maker OpenAI said on Thursday that it is evaluating U.S. states as potential artificial intelligence data center locations for its massive Stargate venture, framing the project as a matter of urgency for the United States to beat China in the global AI race.

About 875 acres in Abilene, or roughly the size of New York’s Central Park, have been set aside to construct data centers, according to city documents seen

Stargate, a joint venture between ChatGPT creator OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank, plans to invest up to $500 billion to help the United States stay ahead of China and other competitors in the global AI race.

Around 16 states have indicated interest in building data centers for Stargate, an OpenAI executive said on a conference call. In January, U.S. President Donald Trump announced the private sector investment initiative to fund AI infrastructure,

OpenAI is scouting Oregon and 15 other states as it prepares to build a network of huge data centers to power its artificial intelligence technology, expanding beyond a flagship Texas location and looking across 16 states to accelerate the Stargate project championed by President Donald Trump.

The companies in Stargate, the new consortium to build out AI infrastructure for OpenAI, are actively considering siting new data center projects in more than a dozen states, OpenAI announced Thursday.

OpenAI executives updated reporters on Thursday about the level of interest the company is seeing from states interested in building large data centers.