OpenAI is planning to deploy gas turbines at its first Stargate data center site in Abilene, Texas, to provide additional power for its AI operations. This move follows in the footsteps of Elon Musk's xAI, which has also used similar power solutions for its data centers. The turbines, acquired from GE Vernova, are designed to provide flexible and efficient power to energy-intensive data centers supporting AI applications.
The gas turbines, specifically the LM2500XPRESS model, are capable of producing significant amounts of power, with each unit generating 34MW. According to reports, OpenAI has acquired 29 of these turbines, which could potentially total 986MW if all are installed. This additional power will help meet the high energy demands of OpenAI's data center, which is expected to power over 1 million GPUs by the end of the year.
The deployment of gas turbines is part of OpenAI's broader effort to expand its Stargate project, a $500 billion initiative aimed at building massive data centers to support AI development. In partnership with Oracle, OpenAI plans to surpass 5 GW of AI power capacity, with a long-term goal of deploying 10 gigawatts of compute capacity across the US.
While the move highlights the growing energy needs of AI data centers and the industry's efforts to find efficient power solutions, it also raises concerns about environmental impact and grid stability. The turbines feature Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions, but the overall environmental implications of the project remain a topic of discussion.
