It has been revealed that OpenAI has not conducted any site inspections for its massive data center construction project, 'Stargate UK.'
OpenAI's 'Stargate' AI data center construction project, 'Stargate UK,' has been temporarily suspended, but investigations have revealed that OpenAI had not conducted any site visits in the first place. Furthermore, while the British government had stated that the project would involve an investment of £30 billion (approximately 6.48 trillion yen), it is believed that at least £20 billion (approximately 4.32 trillion yen) of that amount was a provisional figure.
OpenAI's apparent failure to visit key site raises questions over UK investment | AI (artificial intelligence) | The Guardian
OpenAI never visited its Stargate UK site, Guardian finds
Stargate UK: 20 billion pound investment was nothing more than a PR stunt | heise online
https://www.heise.de/en/news/Stargate-UK-20-billion-pound-investment-was-nothing-more-than-a-PR-stunt-11354241.html
'Stargate' is a $500 billion (approximately 80 trillion yen) AI data center construction project led by OpenAI, which plans to build large-scale data centers in five locations across the United States to stimulate AI development and operation.
A similar 'Stargate UK' project was underway in the UK, with the British government touting it as a £30 billion investment. However, it has been temporarily suspended since April 2026 because OpenAI has shifted its policy to a more cautious approach to infrastructure development.
The British newspaper The Guardian, citing sources, points out that 'Stargate UK' was originally a project requested by US President Donald Trump during his visit to the UK in September 2025, and that since it had been announced that OpenAI would be making a large investment in the 'Stargate' project in the US, 'Stargate UK' also needed a large budget.
'Stargate UK' is a project in which OpenAI, in partnership with NVIDIA and Nscale (which is building a supercomputer in Essex in southeastern England), will develop infrastructure throughout the UK. In particular, Cobalt Park, the UK's largest business park, was designated as an 'AI growth zone' and the construction of a data center was planned there.
However, when The Guardian filed a freedom of information request with North Tyneside, where Cobalt Park is located, it was discovered that only NVIDIA had a record of visiting, while OpenAI and Nscale had no record of visiting.
A source who testified to The Guardian on this matter said, 'Nscale received a unilateral instruction to support the Stargate UK project, which was completely unexpected. The project was unrealistic to begin with and was essentially nothing more than a government performance. The project was shut down, and it was OpenAI's Sam Altman who ended up paying the price.'
John Johnson, leader of the North Tyneside Conservative Party, also commented on the Stargate UK project, saying, 'We were really surprised when the announcement came out, because we hadn't been told anything about the project. It was suddenly announced on a large scale,' suggesting that no groundwork had been laid with the local community.
The British government had advertised the Stargate UK project as an expected investment of £30 billion in the AI growth zone, but in reality, £10 billion of that figure included funds from another data center construction project being undertaken by asset management company Blackstone in the same area, and the remaining £20 billion represented the 'potential for additional investment from future partners.'
The Guardian asked the government for the basis of this £20 billion and what companies the future partners refer to, but received no response. However, when Spotlight on Corruption , a non-profit organization that works against financial corruption, asked a similar question, the government responded that '£20 billion is needed to secure the computing capacity to utilize 1.1 GW of electricity,' suggesting that The Guardian may have argued that '£20 billion will be invested because £20 billion is needed to develop Stargate UK.'
Incidentally, unlike the UK plan, SoftBank has made an additional investment of $10 billion (approximately 1.63 trillion yen) in the US Stargate project as promised, and is scheduled to make another $10 billion investment in October 2026.
Announcement Regarding Additional Investment in OpenAI (Second Tranche) | SoftBank Group Corp.
https://group.softbank/news/press/20260701
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