Donald Trump has announced the creation of a new venture called Stargate, aimed at developing artificial intelligence infrastructure in the United States with an initial investment of $100 billion, which could increase to $500 billion. This initiative involves collaboration with SoftBank, OpenAI, and Oracle, whose leaders appeared alongside Trump during the announcement.
However, Elon Musk has cast doubt on the venture’s financial viability, stating that “they don’t actually have the money,” and asserting that SoftBank only has under $10 billion secured, a claim he supports with reliable insider information. Musk’s comments stand out, especially since he has ties to Trump’s inner circle and has been involved in significant political activities, including promoting pardons.
Moreover, Musk is currently in a legal dispute with OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman, whom he claims has strayed from the nonprofit mission of the original ChatGPT project. While the contributing companies have not detailed their funding strategies, they might explore other financing options as they move forward. Musk’s scepticism of the Stargate project reflects ongoing tensions in the AI domain, particularly regarding OpenAI’s changing priorities and the broader landscape of AI investment.