Microsoft is picking up a Texas data center project OpenAI didn't want
Fortune • • business
Key Points:
- Crusoe is collaborating with Microsoft to construct two new "AI factory" buildings and an on-site power plant in Abilene, Texas, adjacent to Crusoe's existing large computing campus for OpenAI and Oracle.
- OpenAI's Stargate project in Abilene is one of the largest AI data center campuses in the U.S., but OpenAI has decided not to expand it further, instead focusing on other sites nationwide, including a facility with Oracle in Wisconsin.
- Microsoft’s new facilities will bring the total number of data center buildings in Abilene to 10, with a combined computing capacity of 2.1 gigawatts, transforming former mesquite shrub lands into a major AI infrastructure hub.
- The new Microsoft power plant will generate 900 megawatts, surpassing the existing 350-megawatt gas-fired plant serving OpenAI and Oracle, highlighting the scale of energy consumption required to support AI data centers.
- Originally intended for cryptocurrency mining, the data center development shifted focus due to the AI boom sparked by ChatGPT, with Crusoe emphasizing rapid industrial growth to support American AI advancements.
