STARGATE – When the U.S. Builds the AI World of Tomorrow on Its Own Terms

When the U.S. rolls out its most ambitious AI project to date – STARGATE – it does so with force, precision, and clear geopolitical intentions. This is no longer merely a technological initiative; it is a strategic repositioning of the global power structure. It is a project that quite literally constructs the physical infrastructure for the next level of artificial intelligence – on a global scale. And it comes with political consequences.

STARGATE is not just a technical project from OpenAI. It is a geopolitical platform, a digital counterpart to NATO's military alliance, but with a focus on digital sovereignty, data power, and AI influence. And as the U.S. opens the floodgates to the world, it does so with a clear condition: If you want in, it will be on our terms.

From Texas to the World – With Nuclear Power and Geopolitics Behind It

When Stargate was first announced in January 2025, it began as a massive data center in Texas, powered by nuclear energy, totaling 1 gigawatt. The purpose? To support the training and deployment of AI models like GPT-5 and those even more advanced in the future. This is no longer about running apps like ChatGPT – it’s about building the foundation for Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), a type of AI that can compete with or surpass human intelligence in nearly all tasks.

With partners such as Oracle (cloud infrastructure), NVIDIA (hardware), Cisco, and SoftBank, and in direct coordination with the U.S. government, it becomes clear that STARGATE is not just a technical experiment – it’s part of a broader strategic agenda.

Stargate UAE – The First Global Deployment

The first international version of Stargate has now launched in the United Arab Emirates. Under the name Stargate UAE, a 10-square-mile infrastructure site is being built in Abu Dhabi. The goal? To provide AI power to a region with a 2,000-mile radius – potentially including up to half of the world’s population – from a single physical location.

Construction is led by G42, a tech company in Abu Dhabi, while OpenAI and Oracle operate the infrastructure. The project is also backed by NVIDIA, SoftBank, and Cisco, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Commerce and President Trump.

It’s hard not to draw parallels to how Amazon Web Services (AWS) quickly became the backbone of the cloud. But Stargate is something much bigger – it is the cloud’s counterpart in a world dominated by AI.

“OpenAI for Countries” – The U.S. AI Version of the Marshall Plan

One of the most intriguing parts of this global AI project is the program OpenAI for Countries. It’s a new kind of offer to the world’s governments:
“We’ll help you build a national AI infrastructure – on your own soil, with your own models – but based on democratic principles and in partnership with the U.S.”

This includes:

• National access to ChatGPT, localized for culture and language

• Domestic data centers to secure data sovereignty

• State-sponsored startup funds to build local AI ecosystems

• Safeguards to prevent authoritarian AI misuse

This is not an altruistic move – it’s a smart and preemptive strategy to prevent AI from falling into the wrong hands, while strengthening the U.S.'s position as the world leader in AI.

What Is Europe Doing?

In the shadow of Stargate’s global rollout and the U.S.'s increasingly aggressive AI strategy, Europe’s silence is becoming worrying. While the U.S. is shaping the future of AI infrastructure with strategic partners, and China is developing its own closed systems, the EU seems to be stuck in regulations, ethical guidelines, and slow bureaucratic processes.

Sure, the EU has launched the AI Act, the world’s first comprehensive legislation on artificial intelligence – but what good are laws without powerful infrastructure, capital, and visionary initiatives? We risk becoming regulatory bystanders instead of innovative players.

Countries like Germany and France have their own AI initiatives, but no coordinated pan-European equivalent to Stargate is in sight. Europe’s technological sovereignty is already challenged in the cloud – and now we risk losing AI as well.

It is high time for a European initiative, not just to defend our values, but to actively participate in building the societies of the future. Otherwise, the choice becomes binary: America’s Stargate – or someone else’s. The third option – a strong, independent European AI network – requires political courage, vision, and swift action.

The Risks – Digital Dependence and a New Colonialism?

What is being built now could be likened to a new kind of colonialism – not with weapons and soldiers, but with data, servers, and AI models. Countries are offered access to powerful AI, but must surrender parts of their independence in the digital domain. If all AI power, all processing capacity, and all development occur within an infrastructure where the U.S., via OpenAI, holds the keys, what happens if countries no longer wish to follow the rules?

We’ve seen what happens when social media platforms are shut down or manipulated for political purposes. What happens when entire nations’ AI ecosystems can be cut off at the push of a button?

Can Sweden Build Its Own STARGATE?

Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, recently stated during a visit to Sweden that every nation should build its own digital intelligence – with its own values, culture, and language. He also warned against outsourcing this intelligence to the U.S. or China. The message is clear: Sweden needs a national AI strategy that includes its own infrastructure.

But do we have the courage, the resources, and above all the political will to take that step?

If I May Play Devil’s Advocate for a Moment…

…we must also dare to ask: Is it really so bad if the U.S. builds the global AI infrastructure? Historically, American innovations like the internet, GPS, and cloud services have become available to the entire world – often for free or at a low cost. Perhaps Stargate isn’t about control, but about preventing authoritarian regimes like China or Russia from setting the terms for future AI?

And what if, in our fear of becoming dependent on the U.S., we miss the opportunity to be part of where decisions are made? If the alternative is to stand outside while others build the future of technology – maybe it’s better to be on the inside, even if it requires compromises.

The American model is still – for now – based on democratic values, open debate, and the rule of law. The question is: can we trust anyone else more?

So even though Stargate raises concerns, perhaps it also offers an opportunity. A chance to secure the future of AI on a foundation of transparency, responsibility, and cooperation – as long as we don’t lose our voice in the process.

Conclusion: AI Is No Longer a Technology Question – It’s About Security and Sovereignty

STARGATE is not just a new generation of data centers. It’s an attempt to lay the foundation for how future power will be distributed. Whoever controls AI power won’t just control technology – but also the flow of ideas, societal structures, and global influence.

Sweden – and the rest of the world – faces a choice:

• Build our own AI ecosystems with local control and openness

• Or join already completed infrastructures – with clear conditions

We’ve seen this before in history – through the Marshall Plan, NATO, the internet, and cloud infrastructure. But never has the choice been so deeply tied to what it means to be a sovereign nation in the digital age.

The question is no longer if you will use AI – but whose AI you will use.