OpenAI and SoftBank commit $1B to SB Energy AI data centers

On January 9, 2026, SB Energy announced that OpenAI and SoftBank Group will each invest $500 million, for a total of $1 billion, in the company as part of the Stargate AI infrastructure initiative. The deal includes a 1.2 GW data center lease in Milam County, Texas, with SB Energy building and operating OpenAI’s next-generation AI data center campus.