For almost any country in Latin America and the world, a company like OpenAI announcing a multi-million dollar investment sounds like a golden dream. It is not only the most influential company on the planet in artificial intelligence, but also one of the pacesetters in the industry. Its arrival promises jobs, economic movement and global visibility. But, as with any large-scale project, it also has doubts: energy consumption, water use or the sustainability of a data center of hundreds of megawatts are not minor issues. Argentina, at least on paper, has been chosen to attempt that leap.
The announcement of the Argentine Government It is based, at least for now, on a single document: a letter of intent signed between OpenAI and the local company Sur Energy. The text, published on October 10, 2025, mentions an investment of “up to $25 billion” for a data center of “up to 500 megawatts,” under the Incentive Regime for Large Investments (RIGI). The location of the project is not specified nor are deadlines or construction phases detailed, which keeps it in a preliminary stage.
The Argentine president met at the Casa Rosada with representatives of OpenAI last week
Silences that weigh. There are details that attract attention. A multimillion-dollar announcement, linked to the expansion of OpenAI in the region, and yet neither its CEO nor the company itself have communicated it through their official channels. That they have not done so does not invalidate the project, but it does mark a distance with the institutional enthusiasm on the Argentine side. In this type of operations, communication is usually part of the message. Here, for the moment, it is conspicuous by its absence, at least on the side of the American startup on its website and social networks.
The plan: AI factories at scale. Stargate is not an isolated project, but the name that OpenAI uses for its global infrastructure program. Its objective is to build a network of data centers capable of supporting cutting-edge artificial intelligence models, the technology that gives life to tools such as conversational chatbots or image generators. In the case of OpenAI, those models are the ones hidden behind products like ChatGPTbased on systems such as GPT-4 either GPT-5. The plan began to take shape months ago, when the company announced an ambitious infrastructure project in the United Stateslater expanding it to other countries.
Interior of Stargate 1, the first large-scale data center developed under OpenAI’s own program
Power, density, permissions. Data centers for artificial intelligence operate in another league. They concentrate massive training on GPUs with industrial-level consumption and an energy density much higher than that of a conventional data center. Each room requires advanced cooling systems capable of constantly keeping the temperature under control. And, although permits and licenses are required as in any facility of this type, its scale and technical requirements make building one of these projects a much more complex and lengthy process.
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RIGI and financing: promise vs contract. As we say, the project is covered by the Incentive Regime for Large Investments, a tool created by the Argentine Government to attract foreign capital through tax, customs and exchange advantages. In practice, the RIGI facilitates the conditions so that a large-scale project can be financed, but it does not guarantee that the investment will materialize.
Patagonia sounds loud, it’s not official. On paper, there is no defined location. Neither the Argentine Government nor OpenAI have mentioned Patagonia in their statements. Even so, the name of the local company that appears in the letter of intent, Sur Energy, fuels the idea that the project could be developed in the south of the country.
The president of Argentina, Javier Milei, with the CEO of OpenAI, Sam Altman, in May 2024
Climate and design: allies or burden. If the southern hypothesis gains strength, it is also for a technical reason: the climate plays in its favor. Colder areas allow you to operate with less cooling energy and take advantage of outside air, something that reduces costs and emissions. In parallel, the availability of water continues to be a decisive factor. The new artificial intelligence campuses, aware of this risk, are adopting cooling systems that minimize the use of water resources. We will have to wait to know the option chosen by OpenAI.
When the network or the water say no. The location of a data center does not depend only on the weather or tax incentives. Factors such as the electrical grid or the availability of water can mark the success or failure of a project. Mexico, for example, is one of the largest technology hubs in the region, but even there a Microsoft data center ran into the limitations of the national network. and had to resort to gas generators. In Chile, Google saw its plan blocked due to excessive water use. They are reminders that it is not enough to have space: you need infrastructure.
From exclusivity to autonomy. For years, OpenAI’s infrastructure depended almost entirely on Microsoft. In 2019, the Redmond company invested 1 billion dollars and became your exclusive cloud partner. Over time, that alliance grew to exceed 10 billion, consolidating Azure as the platform where the company’s models were trained and executed. However, OpenAI has been seeking greater operational autonomy. The Stargate program responds precisely to that idea: having its own computing resources and diversifying its technological dependence.
From paper to concrete. For now, it all depends on the next steps. For the initiative to move forward, a definitive contract between OpenAI and Sur Energy, the presentation of environmental studies and electrical interconnection licenses will be necessary. The financing scheme and long-term energy agreements will also have to be defined. Only with these pieces in place can we speak of a real work. Until then, Stargate Argentina will continue to be an announcement in the intention phase, pending going from paper to concrete.
Images | Xataka with Gemini 2.5 | Government of Argentina | Javier Milei (X) | Sam Altman (X)
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Xataka
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Javier Marquez
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