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On President Donald Trump’s second day in office, he helped announce a private artificial intelligence venture that he said would be “the largest AI infrastructure project by far in history.”The Stargate Project, as the venture is named, is a partnership between four notable companies: OpenAI, SoftBank, Oracle and MGX. Its goal is to construct sites throughout the U.S. to develop, power, deploy and maintain AI technology.The announcement did not delve into specific applications or projects for the technology, but according to a statement from OpenAI, the venture will focus on economic development and protecting national security.“This infrastructure will secure American leadership in AI, create hundreds of thousands of American jobs, and generate massive economic benefit for the entire world,�� the statement read.Here’s everything you need to know about the project, including where it’s being built, how much it costs and what the security concerns are:What is Stargate?The Stargate Project, or Stargate for short, is a private joint venture that will develop and build artificial intelligence technology in the United States.The project plans to construct data centers nationwide and fund research and development for new AI applications.The company's inception goes back to 2022, but it was formally announced on Jan. 21, 2025, at a press conference with President Donald Trump.Who is behind the project?The four founding companies behind the project are:OpenAI: U.S.-based AI research organizationSoftBank: Japan-based investment companyOracle: U.S.-based computer technology companyMGX: Investment firm based in the United Arab EmiratesOpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Oracle chairman Larry Ellison, and SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son appeared at the press conference where Trump announced the venture. Son will serve as chairman of Stargate.SoftBank will take the lead on financing, while OpenAI will be operationally responsible.Arm, Microsoft and NVIDIA will also contribute to the development of technology. How is it being funded?The project is set to cost $500 billion. Despite the press conference with Trump, no funding will come from the federal government. It will all come from private-sector investments.The project's initial investment is $100 billion. However, Tesla, SpaceX and X CEO Elon Musk, a close advisor to Trump and head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), called that number into question."They don't actually have the money," Musk said on social media. “SoftBank has well under $10B secured. I have that on good authority.”OpenAI CEO Sam Altman immediately disputed Musk’s claim.��(W)rong, as you surely know,�� Altman replied on social media. ��(W)ant to come visit the first site already under way? this is great for the country. i realize what is great for the country isn't always what's optimal for your companies, but in your new role i hope you'll mostly put (America) first.”What is the federal government’s involvement?Trump said he would intervene when necessary to expedite the process so that Stargate could continue building and advancing its venture."I'm going to help a lot through emergency declarations because we have an emergency," he said.Trump stressed the importance of the U.S. leading the charge regarding AI.“What we want to do is, we want to keep it in this country,�� Trump said. “China is a competitor, and others are competitors. We want it to be in this country, and we're making it available. I'm going to help a lot through emergency declarations because we have an emergency. We have to get this stuff built.”Trump also revoked an executive order issued by President Joe Biden that called for regulation and oversight of artificial intelligence.In addition, Trump issued his order to remove barriers for U.S. companies to develop AI.“This order revokes certain existing AI policies and directives that act as barriers to American AI innovation, clearing a path for the United States to act decisively to retain global leadership in artificial intelligence,�� the order stated.Video below: Artificial intelligence opening doors for people with disabilitiesWhere will the sites be built?The first Stargate site is being constructed in Abilene, Texas, about 200 miles outside Dallas.Nearly 875 acres, roughly the size of New York’s Central Park, have been set aside for the project.Stargate leaders have said that more sites are being planned in other parts of the country, but nothing has been finalized.According to Ellison, the goal is to construct 10 data centers initially, with plans to expand to 20 locations of about half a million square feet each.What are the potential benefits for the American people?Trump said that this venture will create 100,000 jobs.One of the project's leaders also claims the technology being developed will provide widespread economic development and “elevate humanity.”“All of us look forward to continuing to build and develop AI—and in particular AGI—for the benefit of all of humanity,�� OpenAI’s statement said. What are the safety and security concerns?The most significant safety concern is the unpredictability that comes with an endlessly powerful technology like AI, Roman Yampolskiy said.Yampolskiy, a University of Louisville associate professor who has written hundreds of papers and numerous books on AI, noted that we already do not have the capability to properly safeguard current levels of AI technology.So the thought of expediting the process to push the technology even further, Yampolskiy said, is alarming.“We don’t know how to control advanced AI. So anyone trying to accelerate development of this technology is making it even harder for us to keep up,�� Yampolskiy said. “It’s not good news for safety.”Yampolskiy pointed to some specific areas of concern, such as AI’s influence on synthetic biology and nanotechnology. But again, he reiterated that we likely can’t predict the biggest threats from AI yet.“I cannot predict what a smarter system would do. The concern is that I’m not controlling it, I’m not specifying environmental conditions that would be beneficial to humanity,�� Yampolskiy said. "So by default, you’re not necessarily going to get something you like. And it could be quite unpleasant, quite dangerous.“Yampolskiy added that the federal government’s potential involvement in Stargate does not quell his concerns, particularly with this administration taking charge.“We had some regulation through executive orders with the previous administration, which now the current administration has canceled,�� Yampolskiy said. “It was safety theater, we had some regulations that didn’t mean much, but at least we tried.”Yampolskiy also warned that an arms race with China or any other country could backfire.“Short term, obviously, it’s good to have powerful AI systems to have a military advantage,�� Yampolskiy said. “But long term, or as soon as we create superintelligence, it doesn’t really matter who created it if we’re not controlling it. The outcome will be the same.”Yampolskiy said he only sees one way society can avoid a negative outcome from AI.“Unless we stop creating more powerful AIs, this is not going to end well,�� he said.