Stargate · OpenAI · Sam Altman · Donald Trump · United Kingdom · ChatGPT · The Guardian Technology
OpenAI’s apparent failure to visit key site raises questions over UK investment
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It was to be the biggest undertaking in Britain for OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT.
Key facts
- Now the Guardian can reveal that OpenAI does not appear to have visited one of Stargate UK’s key sites, and that £20bn of the “potential” £30bn in investment touted by the UK government appears
- In other words, the government suggested the site would attract £20bn because it needed £20bn
- In its press release, the government said the AI growth zone that would house Stargate UK was “set to” bring in £30bn in investment
- The lack of meetings, or prior coordination, is unusual for a project that Altman described as reflecting OpenAI’s “shared vision” for the UK’s investment in AI infrastructure, and the Nvidia chief
Summary
But the plans were paused in April, with an OpenAI spokesperson citing concerns over regulation and high energy costs. Now the Guardian can reveal that OpenAI does not appear to have visited one of Stargate UK’s key sites, and that £20bn of the “potential” £30bn in investment touted by the UK government appears to have been totally hypothetical. The findings raise questions about one of the most-hyped UK AI developments, and suggest a centrepiece of US-UK AI cooperation was in fact little more than a press release. It follows a Guardian investigation in March, which revealed many of the deals to “mainline AI into the veins” of the British economy were “phantom investments”.