Microsoft’s investment in OpenAI in 2019 was just the beginning of a quest to tackle the AI firm’s need for substantial processing power. This led to the development of a custom supercomputer housed in Microsoft data centers in Iowa. According to Katie Mayer, who oversees the Microsoft-OpenAI partnership, these supercomputing systems are vital for their research, accelerating progress in developing novel AI capabilities.
Recently, The Information reported plans for a massive new data center project, co-led by OpenAI and Microsoft, with an estimated budget of up to $100 billion. Dubbed “Stargate,” this supercomputer project could launch by 2028 and potentially require as much as 5 gigawatts of power, rivaling the largest nuclear power station in the US.
While OpenAI declined to comment and Microsoft offered a general statement on infrastructure innovation, details remain fluid. Decisions on location, hardware, and power sources are still being considered. Nevertheless, the project holds promise for advancing AI capabilities, possibly even leading to the development of artificial general intelligence in the future.