Data Centers AI News & Updates
CoreWeave Acquires Core Scientific for $9B to Expand AI Data Center Capacity
CoreWeave announced a $9 billion all-stock acquisition of data center provider Core Scientific, gaining access to over one gigawatt of capacity for AI training and inference workloads. The deal reflects the broader industry race among cloud infrastructure providers to expand data center footprints to meet growing computational demands from AI companies.
Skynet Chance (+0.01%): Increased AI infrastructure capacity enables more powerful AI model training and deployment, potentially accelerating the development of more capable systems. However, this is standard commercial infrastructure expansion without novel safety concerns.
Skynet Date (+0 days): Additional compute infrastructure slightly accelerates AI development timelines by reducing resource constraints for AI companies. The scale of capacity addition could enable faster training of larger models.
AGI Progress (+0.01%): Expanding AI computational infrastructure directly supports AGI development by providing the necessary hardware resources for training increasingly large and capable models. More available compute capacity removes a key bottleneck in AI research.
AGI Date (+0 days): The significant expansion of AI-focused data center capacity accelerates AGI timelines by addressing compute resource constraints that currently limit AI development. This infrastructure investment enables faster scaling of AI model training.
Saudi Arabia's Humain Launches $10B AI Investment Fund and Plans Massive Data Center Expansion
Saudi Arabia's state-owned AI company Humain is launching a $10 billion venture fund to invest in AI startups across the U.S., Europe, and Asia, while engaging with major firms like OpenAI and xAI. The company plans to build 1.9 gigawatts of data center capacity by 2030, aiming to process 7% of global AI training and inference workloads at an estimated cost of $77 billion.
Skynet Chance (+0.04%): Massive centralization of AI compute resources under state control and significant funding flowing to AI capabilities development could reduce distributed oversight and accelerate powerful AI systems development. However, the investment approach suggests focus on commercial applications rather than uncontrolled AI development.
Skynet Date (-1 days): The $77 billion investment in AI infrastructure and 7% of global AI training capacity significantly accelerates the pace of AI development by providing substantial compute resources. This level of infrastructure investment could enable faster training of more powerful AI systems.
AGI Progress (+0.03%): The planned 1.9 gigawatts of data center capacity and goal to handle 7% of global AI training represents a substantial increase in compute infrastructure critical for AGI development. Major partnerships with Nvidia, AMD, and engagement with leading AI companies like OpenAI indicate serious commitment to advancing AI capabilities.
AGI Date (-1 days): The massive $77 billion infrastructure investment and partnerships with key AI hardware providers will significantly accelerate AGI timeline by providing essential compute resources. The scale of this investment could remove compute bottlenecks that currently slow AGI research and development.
OpenAI Launches Stargate UAE Data Center Project with 1GW Capacity in Partnership with Major Tech Companies
OpenAI announced Stargate UAE, bringing a 1GW data center cluster to Abu Dhabi with 200MW going live in 2026, developed with partners including G42, Oracle, Nvidia, Cisco, and SoftBank. This marks the first partnership under OpenAI's new "OpenAI for Countries" initiative to help governments build sovereign AI capability. The UAE will become the first country to enable ChatGPT nationwide as part of the partnership.
Skynet Chance (+0.05%): Massive compute infrastructure and sovereign AI capabilities distributed globally create multiple potential points of failure and geopolitical complexity for AI control. Giving entire nations direct access to advanced AI capabilities increases the potential for misuse or loss of centralized oversight.
Skynet Date (-1 days): 1GW of dedicated AI compute capacity and international expansion significantly accelerates the deployment of advanced AI capabilities globally. The 2026 timeline and massive infrastructure investment suggests rapid scaling of AI systems worldwide.
AGI Progress (+0.04%): 1GW of compute capacity represents massive scaling of AI training and inference capabilities, which is crucial for AGI development. The infrastructure investment and international partnerships suggest preparation for much more capable AI systems.
AGI Date (-1 days): Massive compute infrastructure investment (1GW) and partnerships with major tech companies significantly accelerates the timeline for training and deploying AGI-level systems. This level of resource commitment suggests OpenAI expects to need this capacity for breakthrough capabilities soon.
OpenAI Plans Massive 5-Gigawatt Data Center in Abu Dhabi with G42
OpenAI is reportedly developing a 5-gigawatt data center campus in Abu Dhabi spanning 10 square miles, as part of its global Stargate project with G42, an Abu Dhabi-based tech conglomerate. The facility would be four times larger than OpenAI's 1.2-gigawatt Texas campus and has raised concerns among U.S. officials about potential technology transfer risks, despite G42's claims of divesting from Chinese interests.
Skynet Chance (+0.04%): This massive infrastructure investment significantly increases available AI compute, potentially enabling more powerful and less controllable AI systems that could outpace safety measures. The geopolitical dimension and involvement of foreign governments adds complexity to governance and oversight mechanisms.
Skynet Date (-1 days): The unprecedented scale of compute infrastructure (5 gigawatts, equivalent to five nuclear reactors) accelerates the timeline for developing more powerful AI systems by removing computational constraints. This represents a substantial acceleration in the race toward more capable AI with potentially fewer safety guardrails.
AGI Progress (+0.04%): This extraordinary scaling of compute resources directly addresses one of the primary bottlenecks to AGI development - raw computational power. The 5-gigawatt facility represents infrastructure specifically designed to enable training of increasingly capable and general AI systems at unprecedented scale.
AGI Date (-1 days): The development of data centers at this scale (four times larger than already significant existing projects) dramatically accelerates the timeline for AGI by enabling much larger training runs and more complex models. This infrastructure buildout removes one of the key practical limitations to AGI development speed.
OpenAI Expanding Global Infrastructure with Potential UAE Data Centers
OpenAI is reportedly planning to build data centers in the United Arab Emirates to expand its Middle East presence, with a possible announcement coming soon. The company has existing relationships with UAE entities, including a partnership with Abu Dhabi's G42 and investment from MGX, an Emirati royal family investment vehicle. This expansion aligns with OpenAI's recently launched program to build infrastructure in countries friendly to the US.
Skynet Chance (+0.03%): Expansion of AI infrastructure across multiple geopolitical regions could potentially create challenges for unified AI governance and oversight, slightly increasing risk factors for uncontrolled AI development. The partnership with multiple governments raises questions about conflicting regulatory frameworks that might affect safety standards.
Skynet Date (-1 days): The accelerated global infrastructure buildout suggests OpenAI is scaling faster than previously anticipated, potentially shortening timelines for advanced AI deployment across diverse regulatory environments. This rapid scaling could compress development cycles and bring forward potential risk scenarios.
AGI Progress (+0.03%): Significant infrastructure expansion directly supports increased compute capacity, which is a key limiting factor in training more capable AI models. The partnership with governments and additional funding channels indicates OpenAI is securing the resources needed for more ambitious AI development projects.
AGI Date (-1 days): The substantial investment in global data center infrastructure suggests OpenAI is preparing for more computationally intensive models sooner than might have been expected. This strategic expansion of compute resources, particularly through the Stargate project referenced, likely accelerates AGI development timelines.
OpenAI's Stargate Data Center Project Faces Investment Hurdles Amid Economic Uncertainty
OpenAI's Stargate data center project, which aims to raise up to $500 million for AI infrastructure globally, is experiencing delays due to tariff-related economic uncertainty. Investors including SoftBank are hesitant to commit funding as tariffs could increase data center buildout costs by 5-15%, while tech giants like Microsoft and Amazon are already adjusting their data center strategies in response to potential overcapacity concerns.
Skynet Chance (-0.05%): The delay in building extensive AI infrastructure slightly reduces short-term risks of uncontrolled AI deployment by constraining the physical computing capacity available for advanced AI systems. Infrastructure bottlenecks create natural slowdowns that allow safety measures to potentially catch up with capability development.
Skynet Date (+1 days): Economic barriers to massive AI infrastructure deployment suggest any potential uncontrolled AI scenario would be pushed further into the future. The hesitation from investors and increasing costs for AI computing resources create friction that extends timelines for deploying truly transformative AI systems at scale.
AGI Progress (-0.04%): Infrastructure limitations directly impact the pace of AGI development by constraining the computing resources needed for training increasingly large and capable AI systems. Without massive data centers like Stargate, the path to AGI faces practical bottlenecks regardless of algorithmic advances.
AGI Date (+1 days): Financial and economic barriers to building advanced AI infrastructure will likely delay AGI timeline projections. The combination of tariff impacts, investor hesitation, and potential industry overcapacity concerns creates multiple friction points that push potential AGI achievement further into the future.
Microsoft Warns of AI Service Constraints Despite Massive Data Center Investment
Microsoft's CFO Amy Hood has cautioned that customers may face AI service disruptions as early as June due to demand outpacing available infrastructure. Despite committing $80 billion to data center investments this year, with half allocated to US facilities, Microsoft appears to be struggling with capacity planning, having reportedly canceled multiple data center leases in recent months.
Skynet Chance (+0.03%): The infrastructure bottlenecks suggest AI systems remain constrained by physical compute limitations, reducing near-term risks of uncontrolled AI proliferation or capability jumps. However, the massive investment signals determination to overcome these constraints, potentially enabling more powerful and autonomous systems in the medium term.
Skynet Date (+1 days): The compute constraints identified by Microsoft indicate physical bottlenecks that will likely delay the deployment of the most advanced AI systems. These infrastructure challenges suggest timeline extensions for the most computationally intensive advanced AI capabilities.
AGI Progress (+0.03%): Microsoft's $80 billion data center investment demonstrates extraordinary commitment to providing the compute infrastructure necessary for advanced AI development. While current constraints exist, this level of investment represents meaningful progress toward the computing capacity needed for AGI-level systems.
AGI Date (+0 days): Current capacity constraints suggest some deceleration in immediate AI progress, as even major companies like Microsoft cannot deploy models as quickly as they'd like. However, the massive ongoing investment indicates this is a temporary slowdown rather than a long-term barrier.
AI Data Centers Projected to Reach $200 Billion Cost and Nuclear-Scale Power Needs by 2030
A new study from Georgetown, Epoch AI, and Rand indicates that AI data centers are growing at an unprecedented rate, with computational performance more than doubling annually alongside power requirements and costs. If current trends continue, by 2030 the leading AI data center could contain 2 million AI chips, cost $200 billion, and require 9 gigawatts of power—equivalent to nine nuclear reactors.
Skynet Chance (+0.04%): The massive scaling of computational infrastructure enables training increasingly powerful models whose behaviors and capabilities may become more difficult to predict and control, especially if deployment outpaces safety research due to economic pressures.
Skynet Date (-1 days): The projected doubling of computational resources annually represents a significant acceleration factor that could compress timelines for developing systems with potentially uncontrollable capabilities, especially given potential pressure to recoup enormous infrastructure investments.
AGI Progress (+0.05%): The dramatic increase in computational resources directly enables training larger and more capable AI models, which has historically been one of the most reliable drivers of progress toward AGI capabilities.
AGI Date (-1 days): The projected sustained doubling of AI compute resources annually through 2030 significantly accelerates AGI timelines, as compute scaling has been consistently linked to breakthrough capabilities in AI systems.
Microsoft Scales Back Global Data Center Expansion Plans
Microsoft has reportedly halted or delayed data center development projects across multiple countries including the UK, Australia, and several US states. Despite previously announcing plans to allocate over $80 billion to capital expenditures in 2025, primarily for AI data centers, the company is now shifting focus from new construction to upgrading existing facilities with servers and computing equipment.
Skynet Chance (-0.05%): Microsoft's scaling back of data center expansion suggests some constraint on the explosive growth of AI computing resources, potentially slowing the unchecked scaling of AI systems. This measured approach to infrastructure development could allow safety measures and governance to better keep pace with capability advances.
Skynet Date (+1 days): The pullback on data center expansion likely introduces a bottleneck in the massive compute scaling needed for future frontier AI models, potentially delaying the development timeline for systems capable of reaching dangerous levels of autonomy or capability.
AGI Progress (-0.04%): The pullback in data center expansion represents a significant constraint on the computing resources available for training increasingly large AI models. Since compute scaling has been a primary driver of recent AI advances, this constraint will likely slow progress toward AGI capabilities.
AGI Date (+1 days): Microsoft's decision to delay multiple data center projects worldwide creates a meaningful bottleneck in the compute infrastructure required for training frontier AI models. This infrastructure limitation will likely push back the timeline for achieving AGI by restricting the pace of model scaling.
xAI Expands AI Infrastructure with Massive Memphis Property Acquisition
Elon Musk's AI company xAI has acquired a 1 million-square-foot property in Memphis to expand its AI data center operations, complementing its existing facility. The company plans to upgrade its primary Memphis facility to 1 million Nvidia GPUs this year, up from 100,000, while also expanding with another data center in Atlanta containing $700 million in hardware.
Skynet Chance (+0.05%): The massive expansion of AI computing resources by xAI represents a significant increase in raw computing power available for AI development, which could enable training of more powerful and potentially less controllable systems. The sheer scale of infrastructure growth (10x GPU increase) suggests preparation for extremely compute-intensive AI models.
Skynet Date (-1 days): The rapid scaling of AI compute infrastructure (from 100,000 to 1 million GPUs in a single year) and xAI's aggressive expansion across multiple facilities accelerates the timeline for developing more advanced AI systems. This acceleration of capability development outpaces corresponding safety measures and oversight mechanisms.
AGI Progress (+0.04%): The substantial investment in compute resources directly advances capabilities for training larger, more sophisticated AI models. The 10x increase in GPU capacity within a year represents a significant boost to the raw computational foundation needed for AGI development.
AGI Date (-1 days): The aggressive scaling of computing infrastructure (10x increase in GPUs, multiple data centers) suggests xAI is preparing for rapid advancement in AI capabilities that could significantly compress the timeline to AGI. The massive $75 billion valuation and continued fundraising indicate sustained momentum toward this acceleration.