It has come to light that OpenAI, the U.S. company leading the massive “Stargate” AI data center initiative, never once visited the proposed construction site for its UK counterpart, “Stargate UK.” The project’s suspension in April 2026 has revealed a severe disconnect between the government’s preemptive, large-scale investment narrative and the actual operational readiness of the companies involved.

The UK government had previously touted that Stargate UK was expected to attract a total investment of £30 billion (approximately $39 billion). However, an investigative report by The Guardian indicates that at least £20 billion (approximately $26 billion) of this amount was likely a “notional figure” lacking any concrete financial backing.

Stargate UK was a plan for OpenAI to partner with semiconductor giant NVIDIA (NVDA) and Nscale—which is building a supercomputer in Essex, southeast England—to develop AI computing infrastructure across the UK. The core proposed site was Cobalt Park, one of the UK’s largest business parks, located in North Tyneside, northeast England. Designated as an “AI Growth Zone,” the site was slated for the construction of a massive data center.

However, a Freedom of Information (FoI) request filed by The Guardian with North Tyneside authorities revealed that only NVIDIA had any record of visiting Cobalt Park. No visit records existed for OpenAI or Nscale.

A source familiar with the matter told the newspaper, “The unilateral instruction Nscale received to support the Stargate UK plan was completely unexpected. The plan lacked realism from the start and was essentially a government performance. The project was terminated, and OpenAI’s Sam Altman was left holding the bag.”

Confusion has also emerged from local political circles. John Johnson, leader of the North Tyneside Conservatives, stated, “We were genuinely surprised by the announcement. We knew nothing about the plan. Suddenly, it was announced with great fanfare,” suggesting there was zero prior groundwork laid with the local community.

The Breakdown and Reality of the “£30 Billion”

The Guardian’s verification has cast serious doubt on the breakdown of the £30 billion investment figure claimed by the UK government.

ItemAmountRealityBlackstone Project£10 billionAppropriated from the investment amount of a separate data center plan independently pursued in the region by asset manager Blackstone.Projected Future Additional Investment£20 billionThe government described this as “potential future investment from partners,” but the specific investors remain unidentified.

Regarding the basis for the £20 billion figure, the UK government reportedly responded to an inquiry from the anti-corruption NGO Spotlight on Corruption by stating it was “because securing computing capacity utilizing 1.1GW of power would require £20 billion.” The Guardian points out that the government’s logic was likely a near-circular argument: “Because it costs £20 billion to build, £20 billion in investment should materialize.”

Camilla Kingston of the NGO criticized the move, saying, “It is deeply disingenuous for the government to imply that £20 billion of investment is guaranteed. This figure is merely the construction cost.” She warned that it “raises unrealistic expectations among local residents that vast sums of money will immediately boost the regional economy.”

Stark Contrast with U.S. Progress

The stagnation of the UK version stands in stark contrast to the Stargate project underway in the United States. As part of the $500 billion AI data center concept led by OpenAI in the U.S., SoftBank Group (9984.T) has fulfilled its commitment by executing an additional $10 billion investment, with another $10 billion top-up planned for October 2026.

Furthermore, on June 8, 2026, OpenAI confidentially filed a draft registration statement (S-1) with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for an initial public offering (IPO). Its latest valuation has reached $852 billion, with Microsoft (MSFT) holding approximately 27% of the shares, alongside other major shareholders including Amazon (AMZN), NVIDIA, and SoftBank Group.

The Plan’s Origin: Trump’s UK Visit

According to source testimony, the Stargate UK plan originated from the UK government’s urgent need for a “major external announcement” to coincide with U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to the UK in September 2025. As the UK version of the Stargate project—which had seen massive investment announced in the U.S.—it needed to feature a similarly large figure.

Despite OpenAI CEO Sam Altman calling the plan a “‘shared vision’ for building AI infrastructure with the UK,” and NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang praising it as “a historic page in U.S.-UK technological cooperation,” the fact that not even a single field survey was conducted at the ground level vividly illustrates that the project’s essence was a politically driven publicity stunt.

When approached by The Guardian, OpenAI merely reiterated the statement it released when the plan was suspended, commenting, “We see significant potential for the development of the UK’s AI industry. We will re-evaluate Stargate UK once conditions supporting long-term infrastructure investment, such as regulations and energy costs, are in place.” Nscale explained that its Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) had visited North Tyneside, but no record of meetings with local authorities exists in official documents.

A UK government spokesperson countered, “The government is working to create a business environment suitable for AI and data center investment in the UK. The development of AI Growth Zones is progressing steadily in northeast England.” While emphasizing plans to secure over 400,000 kilowatts of power supply capacity by 2028, the spokesperson avoided giving a clear answer on the outlook for OpenAI’s direct involvement.

Conservative leader Johnson expressed disappointment with the entire affair, stating, “Existing infrastructure simply cannot support a computing project of this scale. The likelihood of the plan materializing in North Tyneside at this point is extremely low. Core conditions like energy costs, grid capacity, and related infrastructure were never in place from the very beginning.”