Billionaire Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman debate on X over Stargate, a massive effort to build data centers across the U.S. for OpenAI infrastructure projects

Announced at a press conference at the White House on Tuesday, Stargate will raise up to $500 billion from investors including SoftBank and Middle East artificial intelligence fund MGX to put into data centers to support OpenAI's artificial intelligence workloads. Stargate's partners initially committed $100 billion, some of which will go to a data center being built in Abilene, Texas.

Elon Musk claims Stargate isn't as rich as it claims to be.

"They literally have no money," Musk wrote in a series of posts on X on Tuesday. "SoftBank's guarantee amount is well below $10 billion. I have full authority."

SoftBank's guaranteed amount is well below $10B. I have full authority.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 22, 2025

Of course, Musk is not a neutral party. He owns his own artificial intelligence company, xAI, which competes with OpenAI and is currently involved in a lawsuit. In the lawsuit, xAI and Musk accused OpenAI of anti-competitive behavior, including preventing OpenAI investors from supporting artificial intelligence competitors.

Altman fired back at Musk and called his bluff in an X post on Wednesday.

"You know for sure that this is wrong," Altman said in response to Musk's accusation that SoftBank lacked funds. "(Stargate) has been great for this country. I realize what's good for the country isn't always what's best for your company, but in your new role, I hope you'll put America at the forefront First place.”

Wrong, you must know it.

Want to visit the first site already under construction?

This is a good thing for the country. I realize what's good for the country isn't always what's best for your company, but in your new role, I hope you'll put 🇺🇸 first.

— Sam Altman (@sama) January 22, 2025

Musk is leading the Department of Government Effectiveness (DOGE), a U.S. government advisory committee that recommends deep cuts to federal agencies. On Monday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order making DOGE more official, but the commission faces a number of legal challenges.

xAI, like OpenAI, urgently needs infrastructure to develop its artificial intelligence systems. Musk's company has spent an estimated $12 billion building its single data center in Memphis, Tennessee, and may spend billions more to upgrade the facility.

Asked about Musk's X post in an interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, a close collaborator and investor in OpenAI, declined to comment. "All I know is I'm happy with my $80 billion," he said, referring to Microsoft's recent pledge to spend record amounts on artificial intelligence data centers this year.