{"id":45983,"date":"2026-04-09T19:12:26","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T19:12:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=45983"},"modified":"2026-04-09T19:12:26","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T19:12:26","slug":"openai-hits-the-brakes-on-stargate-uk-infrastructure-project-citing-energy-costs-and-regulatory-concerns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=45983","title":{"rendered":"OpenAI hits the brakes on Stargate UK infrastructure project, citing energy costs and regulatory concerns"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<br \/><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<p id=\"elk-39babba5-bd0b-4a64-9387-c493f5e21731\">OpenAI has paused plans for its Stargate UK project to build out AI infrastructure across the country.<\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-7c099f82-d20d-4797-95aa-009f1bc40b73\">In a statement given to <em>ITPro<\/em>, a spokesperson for the AI firm cited energy costs and regulatory concerns as a key factor behind the decision to pause the project.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"elk-seasonal\"\/><\/p>\n<aside data-block-type=\"embed\" data-render-type=\"fte\" data-skip=\"dealsy\" data-widget-type=\"seasonal\" class=\"hawk-root\"\/>\n<p id=\"elk-0c58f983-88cd-4afb-97a2-bb11e80f01ad-0\">\u201cWe continue to explore Stargate UK and will move forward when the right conditions such as regulation and the cost of energy enable long-term infrastructure investment,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-c1537539-d3cb-4f07-861a-d0c70ac3ba96\">The spokesperson added that the company still sees \u201chuge potential for the UK&#8217;s AI future\u201d and is continuing to invest in other schemes across the country.<\/p>\n<p>In February, OpenAI announced plans to <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.itpro.com\/technology\/artificial-intelligence\/openai-london-biggest-research-hub-outside-us\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.itpro.com\/technology\/artificial-intelligence\/openai-london-biggest-research-hub-outside-us\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.itpro.com\/technology\/artificial-intelligence\/openai-london-biggest-research-hub-outside-us\">open its largest research hub outside the US in London<\/a>. The move was described as a &#8220;huge vote of confidence&#8221; in the UK tech sector.<\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-ecf17fed-6fe8-48cc-b268-af9c0baf3ec5\">\u201cWe are investing in talent and expanding our local presence, while also delivering on the commitments under our MOU with the Government to adopt frontier AI in UK public services.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"elk-d6a5eb4c-2690-4805-984c-53b31cf51686\"\/><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"what-is-stargate-uk-3\">What is Stargate UK?<\/h2>\n<p id=\"elk-0fdc21aa-a280-4120-8c6f-144b0a63b1df\">OpenAI announced the project in September 2025 as part of a collaboration with Nvidia and Nscale, detailing plans to initially deploy around 8,000 GPUs with the aim of scaling this to upwards of 30,000 in due course.<\/p>\n<div id=\"slice-container-newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-dw9dAvWYa3ZovYcGMkmsgT\" class=\"slice-container newsletter-inbodyContent-slice newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-dw9dAvWYa3ZovYcGMkmsgT slice-container-newsletterForm\">\n<div data-hydrate=\"true\" class=\"newsletter-form__wrapper newsletter-form__wrapper--inbodyContent\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-form__container\">\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__top-bar\"\/>\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__main-section\">\n<p class=\"newsletter-form__strapline\">Sign up today and you will receive a free copy of our Future Focus 2025 report &#8211; the leading guidance on AI, cybersecurity and other IT challenges as per 700+ senior executives<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"elk-30e19a2c-d6b9-454a-8173-a7cd11be4536\">This was expected to form a core part of the UK\u2019s efforts to build out infrastructure, with sites earmarked at Cobalt Park in the North East through the government\u2019s <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.itpro.com\/infrastructure\/data-centres\/plans-announced-to-resurrect-former-steelworks-as-a-green-data-center\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.itpro.com\/infrastructure\/data-centres\/plans-announced-to-resurrect-former-steelworks-as-a-green-data-center\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.itpro.com\/infrastructure\/data-centres\/plans-announced-to-resurrect-former-steelworks-as-a-green-data-center\">AI Growth Zones initiative<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-7b4b01f0-49bb-4403-9f22-4e84017eca49\">The project was hailed as a significant seal of approval for the UK tech sector at the time, as well as the Labour government\u2019s ongoing plans to position the country as a global leader in AI.<\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-21a32fe3-1c74-4507-a27e-ffdcc1512593\">OpenAI has <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.itpro.com\/infrastructure\/stargate-project-openai-oracle-pledge-support-for-usd500-billion-ai-infrastructure-drive\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.itpro.com\/infrastructure\/stargate-project-openai-oracle-pledge-support-for-usd500-billion-ai-infrastructure-drive\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.itpro.com\/infrastructure\/stargate-project-openai-oracle-pledge-support-for-usd500-billion-ai-infrastructure-drive\">other Stargate projects<\/a> underway in both the US and Norway. In July last year, the firm announced a partnership with Nscale and Aker to <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.itpro.com\/infrastructure\/openai-is-teaming-up-with-nscale-and-aker-to-build-europes-first-ai-gigafactory-stargate-norway-is-set-to-host-100-000-nvidia-gpus-and-will-be-powered-by-renewable-energy\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.itpro.com\/infrastructure\/openai-is-teaming-up-with-nscale-and-aker-to-build-europes-first-ai-gigafactory-stargate-norway-is-set-to-host-100-000-nvidia-gpus-and-will-be-powered-by-renewable-energy\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.itpro.com\/infrastructure\/openai-is-teaming-up-with-nscale-and-aker-to-build-europes-first-ai-gigafactory-stargate-norway-is-set-to-host-100-000-nvidia-gpus-and-will-be-powered-by-renewable-energy\"><u>build Europe\u2019s first AI \u2018gigafactory\u2019<\/u><\/a> in Northern Norway.<\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-8ecf70a3-ff86-4fb3-a867-544aa658c70a\">Located in Kvandal, outside Narvik, the project marked the first AI data center initiative in Europe as part of its OpenAI for Countries scheme.<\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-02ebc30b-d79e-4afb-a1c7-e5d58b5fb0d1\">Last month, OpenAI and Oracle reportedly scrapped plans to expand a flagship AI data center in Abilene Texas.<\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-fda490d6-0986-46fa-8291-4813b582a030\">According to reports from <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2026-03-06\/oracle-and-openai-end-plans-to-expand-flagship-data-center\" target=\"_blank\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2026-03-06\/oracle-and-openai-end-plans-to-expand-flagship-data-center\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\"><u><em>Bloomberg <\/em><\/u><\/a>at the time, negotiations on the expansion ground to a halt amid financing concerns and increased capacity expectations.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s unclear whether the decision to pause Stargate UK will impact other national infrastructure projects, such as those in Norway.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"elk-follow-us-on-social-media\"\/><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"article-body__section\" id=\"section-follow-us-on-social-media\"><span>FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA<\/span><\/h3>\n<p id=\"elk-74cf6fab-bed1-4c3c-8a22-ee516b8ed142\"><a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqIggKIhxDQklTRHdnTWFnc0tDV2wwY0hKdkxtTnZiU2dBUAE?ceid=GB:en&amp;oc=3&amp;hl=en-GB&amp;gl=GB\" data-url=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqIggKIhxDQklTRHdnTWFnc0tDV2wwY0hKdkxtTnZiU2dBUAE?ceid=GB:en&amp;oc=3&amp;hl=en-GB&amp;gl=GB\" target=\"_blank\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\"><em>Follow ITPro on Google News<\/em><\/a><em> and <\/em><a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=itpro.com\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=itpro.com\" target=\"_blank\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\"><em>add us as a preferred source<\/em><\/a><em> to keep tabs on all our latest news, analysis, views, and reviews.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>You can also <\/em><a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/itpro-uk\" target=\"_blank\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/itpro-uk\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\"><em>follow ITPro on LinkedIn<\/em><\/a><em>, <\/em><a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ITPro\" target=\"_blank\" data-url=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ITPro\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\"><em>X<\/em><\/a><em>, <\/em><a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ITProUK\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ITProUK\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\"><em>Facebook<\/em><\/a><em>, and <\/em><a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/itpro.com\" target=\"_blank\" data-url=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/itpro.com\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\"><em>BlueSky<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.itpro.com\/infrastructure\/openai-hits-the-brakes-on-stargate-uk-infrastructure-project-citing-energy-cost-and-regulatory-concerns\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>OpenAI has paused plans for its Stargate UK project to build out AI infrastructure across the country. In a statement given to ITPro, a spokesperson for&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":45984,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45983","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=45983"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45983\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/45984"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=45983"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=45983"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=45983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}