OpenAI shifts away from first-party Stargate data centers, prefers leasing compute

On 2026-04-30, OpenAI reportedly shifted away from first-party Stargate data centers and said Stargate is an umbrella term for its compute strategy. The company now prefers to lease compute from third-party providers, rather than directly owning infrastructure with Oracle and SoftBank. The update affects a major AI infrastructure plan in the United States.