Why experts say Trump’s $500 billion AI investment could boost Tucson innovation
A $500 billion private sector investment in AI infrastructure could bring major advancements to research and job growth in Tucson
The initiative, called the Stargate Project, is a collaboration between OpenAI, SoftBank and Oracle. It aims to establish a nationwide network of advanced data centers to support AI innovation by 2029.
Ash Black, director of the university’s AI Core, said this investment is different than any other investment for AI. “It’s also very physical. It’s about energy, data, product data centers and even building reactors to power them."
The funding could help the U.S. maintain a competitive edge in AI development after China recently released DeepSeek-R1, an open-source AI model that allows anyone to access and modify its technology for free.