Business & Finance
Musk Accuses SoftBank of Failing to Pay for Turbine Orders Amid Stargate Project Tensions
Elon Musk publicly criticized SoftBank for not paying on turbine orders in a reply on X to Katie Miller. Musk said, “SoftBank is defaulting on their turbine orders.” The criticism came after Miller posted a screenshot related to President Donald Trump’s Stargate project, a $500 billion initiative to build AI data centers. Stargate, announced in January 2025, lists Nvidia, Oracle, SoftBank and OpenAI as its three largest partners. Bloomberg reported that a mystery seller was attempting to auction about $500 million in data‑center loans, including a $25 million loan for a Stargate site in New Mexico jointly developed by OpenAI, SoftBank and Oracle. Oracle has already issued a force‑majeure notice to the site’s developer. Musk has repeatedly questioned the funding of Stargate, stating that SoftBank has less than $10 billion secured. In a separate X exchange, Musk called Sam Altman a “swindler,” to which Altman replied that Musk’s claims were wrong and expressed respect for Musk’s achievements while noting that Musk may not treat others fairly. Altman also urged Musk to prioritize U.S. interests. SoftBank’s investment arm, SB Energy, announced in January that it would build and operate OpenAI’s 1.2‑gigawatt data‑center site in Milam County, Texas, and would become an OpenAI customer using its APIs and ChatGPT for employees. The partnership aims to accelerate the delivery of advanced AI data‑center campuses and the necessary energy infrastructure for Stargate and America’s AI future.
Frequently asked questions
What did Elon Musk accuse SoftBank of?
Musk said SoftBank is defaulting on their turbine orders.
What is the Stargate project?
Stargate is a $500 billion initiative announced in January 2025 to build AI data centers, with Nvidia, Oracle, SoftBank and OpenAI as its three largest partners.
What did SoftBank’s investment arm announce in January?
SB Energy announced it would build and operate OpenAI’s 1.2‑gigawatt data‑center site in Milam County, Texas, and become an OpenAI customer using its APIs and ChatGPT for employees.